This subspecies was given this name because the snail lives in a deep gorge where the sunshine does not reach the ground until the middle of the day.

Its native habitat of steep wet slopes with calcareous rocks is rare in western North Carolina.

The associated loss of the forest canopy allowed more sunlight to penetrate the gorge, drying the substrate on the lower slopes.

This habitat alteration changed the floral and faunal assemblage, allowing non-native plants such as kudzu and Japanese honeysuckle to invade some roadside areas.

The forest floor has a thick, rich humus layer, and the area has many exposed limestone rocks.

Calcium carbonate, which is generally scarce in other cliffs in the area, is vital to most snails, because it is a major component of their shells.

This subspecies appears to be most active during wet weather, when it is frequently found out on the surface of vegetation, rather than under the leaf litter on the forest floor.