Bellied diaper snail
| Bellied diaper snail | ||||||||||||
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Bulbous diaper snail ( Vertigo moulinsiana ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Vertigo moulinsiana | ||||||||||||
| Dupuy , 1849 |
The bellied diaper snail ( Vertigo moulinsiana ) is a type of snail from the family of the diaper snail (Vertiginidae), which belongs to the subordination of the terrestrial lung snail (Stylommatophora). She prefers to live in the swampy area silting standing waters are mainly due to large sedge (. Eg Carex Acutiformis , Carex riparia or Carex paniculata ). The soil in typical locations is characterized by abundance of nutrients and near-surface water, and must not be too low in lime.
features
The case measures only 2.2 to 2.7 mm in length and 1.3 to 1.6 mm in width. It is bulbous-egg-shaped. The mouth has four protrusions (so-called "teeth"), which sometimes have additional, smaller teeth at the base. They should prevent predators (e.g. predatory insect larvae ) and parasites from entering the housing and prevent the body from drying out too quickly. The foot and head of the bulbous diaper snail are glossy black. The color of the housing ranges from red-brown to light yellowish; the surface is shiny. The cases are almost smooth, only a weak streak can be seen.
Geographical distribution and habitat
There are isolated occurrences of this species all over central and western Europe , on the British Isles and the southern areas of Scandinavia . The North African coast is the southernmost region where a colony of this snail species has been discovered so far . The largest colonies with an intact population are in south-east England , Ireland and north-east Germany . In the east, the occurrence extends to the Caucasus. The species is relatively sensitive to low winter temperatures. The isolated occurrences in Central Europe are therefore interpreted as relics of the post-glacial warm period ( Atlantic , approx. 7200 to 3800 BC). However, this is controversial.
behavior
The bulbous diaper snail is a nocturnal animal. During the day it rests with its slime stuck to the leaves of larger sedges . It is a typical grazer, its diet consists of mushrooms that live on these grasses, as well as pollen and other vegetable particles. The bellied diaper snail is still little researched. Because of its small size, it relies on passive distribution mainly by water birds. Eggs or young animals adhering to the plumage are transported over a few kilometers to new, suitable habitats. Spreading by wind, comparable to pollen, is out of the question, however, since the bellied diaper snail cannot produce the egg masses required for such a lossy route. The bellied diaper snail reproduces as a mutually fertilizing hermaphrodite , but it is also able to fertilize itself. It lays a small number of soft-shell eggs from May to August . How the animals survive the winter is not yet fully understood. They were discovered both close to the ground between organic material and leaves and sitting freely on the underside of the leaves of the large sedge. Harsh winters decimate the populations considerably.
Danger
The bellied diaper snail is threatened with extinction throughout its range . It is particularly endangered by the destruction of its habitat and has already died out in some European countries (Netherlands?). In Germany it is on the “ Red List ” and is considered to be highly endangered.
Systematics
There are a number of synonyms for this species such as B. Pupa charpentieri Shuttleworth, 1852, Pupa laevigata v. Gallenstein, 1852, Vertigo limbata Partiot, 1855, Vertigo ventrosa Heynemann, 1862, Pupa kuesteriana Westerlund, 1875 and some misspellings Pupa desmoulinsiana Jeffreys, 1855, Vertigo moulinsii Moquin-Tandon, 1855 and Vertigo demoulinsi Germain, 1913.
Others
In June 2002, the Leonberg graphic artist Günter Jackistücke designed a stamp with a picture of the bellied diaper snail and printed it by the Deutsche Bundespost under the motto “Endangered animal species”. The snail was collected by the Stuttgart Natural History Museum in Goldersbachtal near Tübingen in accordance with the FFH directive 1999. In 2003 it was voted Mollusk of the Year .
supporting documents
literature
- Rosina Fechter and Gerhard Falkner: molluscs. 287 pp., Mosaik-Verlag, Munich 1990 (Steinbach's Nature Guide 10), ISBN 3-570-03414-3
- Uwe Jueg: The distribution and ecology of Vertigo moulinsiana (DUPUY, 1849) in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora: Vertiginidae) . - Malak. Depending on state Mus. Tierkde. Dresden, 22: pp. 87-124.
- Michael P. Kerney, RAD Cameron, Jürgen H. Jungbluth: The land snails of Northern and Central Europe. 384 pp., Paul Parey, Hamburg / Berlin 1983, ISBN 3-490-17918-8
- Michael L. Zettler and Uwe Jueg: Responsibility for less popular animal groups? Example leeches, higher crabs and mollusks. Pulsatilla, 2001 (4): pp. 76-80, Bonn 2001 ZDB -ID 1412992-9
Individual evidence
- ↑ MB Seddon, DT Holyoak: Land gastropoda of NW. Africa. New distributional data and nomenclature. Journal of Conchology, 34: pp. 311-323, 1993 abstract
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from September 7, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Hans-Jörg Niederhöfer: Flora Fauna Habitat Directive: FFH mapping of threatened animal species in Baden-Württemberg.
Web links
- naturschutz-fachinformationssysteme-nrw.de ( Memento from May 3, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- Mollusks from NRW
- Molluscs of Central Europe
- Fauna Europaea
- Species profile bellied diaper snail (PDF file; 641 kB)
- Postage stamp of the Deutsche Bundespost from 2002 ( Memento from September 30, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- Vertigo moulinsiana inthe IUCN 2012 Red List of Threatened Species . 2. Posted by: I. Killeen, E. Moorkens, and M. Seddon, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2013.
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