Clarke (1991) and Shei K. Wu (Colorado Museum of Natural History, Boulder, Colorado, pers. comm. 1992, 1995) suggest that the Kanab ambersnail may deserve full species status. Earle Spamer (Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, pers. comm. 1994) stated that although current published mollusk checklists (Turgeon et al. 1988 and Groombridge 1993) treat the Kanab ambersnail at species level rather that as a subspecies, nonetheless, until the criteria are derived (and published) by which the taxon can be known to be a separate species, it should continue to be called by its original name, the one published by Pilsbry (1948): "Oxyloma haydeni" spp. "kanabensis". Despite this, NatureServe does list this taxon as a species.