Spotted heather snail
| Spotted heather snail | ||||||||||||
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Spotted heather snail ( Xeroplexa intersecta ) |
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| Xeroplexa intersecta | ||||||||||||
| ( Poiret , 1801) |
The spotted heather snail ( Xeroplexa intersecta , syn .: Candidula intersecta ) is a species of snail belonging to the Geomitridae family from the order of the land snail (Stylommatophora).
features
The spherical, pressed-conical housing is 5 to 8 mm high and 7 to 13 mm wide (4 to 7 × 7 to 12 mm: Welter Schultes). It has 5 to 6½ slightly arched, regularly increasing turns, which are separated from each other by a shallow seam and are weakly shouldered at the periphery. The outer line of the turns is slightly convex. The moderately wide and deep navel is a little eccentric. The mouth is rounded and has a distinct white lip on the inside, a little away from the mouth edge. The edge of the mouth itself is sharp and slightly curved outwards in the area of the spindle.
The whitish, light brown to reddish-yellowish housing is opaque. The surface shows slightly irregular ribs. The drawing consists of darker spiral bands and spots, the color of the case and the pattern being very variable. The bands can be broken, blotched, fused, or completely absent. Completely white or brown specimens can therefore also appear.
The soft body is yellowish or bluish gray with dark pigment spots. The upper tentacles are long, while the lower tentacles are very short.
Similar species
The light heather snail ( Backeljaia gigaxii ) has a slightly larger shell and less well-arched whorls and a weaker seam. It is also usually more pressed or less conical. The shell of the common snail ( Candidula unifasciata ) has finer and more regular ribs and is less keeled on the periphery.
The shells of the dwarf heather snail ( Trochoidea geyeri ) and the striped heather snail ( Helicopsis striata ) are less flattened on the top and bottom. They are ribbed more coarsely, have a deeper seam and an unlipped or only partially lipped mouth.
Geographical distribution and habitat
The distribution area of the species extends from the British Isles across western and northern France, northern Portugal, northwestern Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, northern Germany, Denmark to southernmost Sweden. The species is currently spreading. It was probably introduced in England in recent times, as there are no finds from the Middle Ages or older. The species was also introduced in New Zealand recently. It has also been found on the west coast of the USA and on the Azores.
The spotted heather snail prefers warm, dry and open locations on calcareous soils, especially in dunes and short-grass slopes, but also occurs in suitable gardens or on ruderal locations .
Way of life
The animals live on the ground or on low plants. They crawl up trees less often and also tolerate cultivated soils, such as B. harvested cornfields. In the case of prolonged drought, they dig into the ground or hide under large stones. They close the mouth with an opaque, white, chalky diaphragm. The eggs are laid in the ground between May and October. The eggs are one millimeter in diameter.
Danger
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, the species is not endangered. The species is not considered endangered in Germany either.
Taxonomy
The taxon was introduced into scientific literature by Jean Louis Marie Poiret as the Helix intersecta . For a long time it was placed in the genus Candidula Kobelt, 1871. Since 2018 it has been placed in the genus Xeroplexa Monterosato, 1872. The Fauna Europaea also lists the following synonyms : Helix deferiana Bourguignat, 1882, Helix expedenta Locard, 1899, Helix paladilhi Bourguignat, 1866, Helix scabiosula Locard, 1899, Helix carcusiaca Mabille, 1881, Helix imula Locard, 1899.
supporting documents
literature
- Klaus Bogon: Land snails biology, ecology, biotope protection. 404 p., Natur Verlag, Augsburg 1990 ISBN 3-89440-002-1 (p. 305/6).
- Rosina Fechter and Gerhard Falkner: molluscs. 287 pp., Mosaik-Verlag, Munich 1990 (Steinbach's Nature Guide 10), ISBN 3-570-03414-3 , (p. 208).
- Edmund Gittenberger: On Trochoidea geyeri (Soos, 1926) and some conchologically similar taxa (Mollusca: Gastropoda Pulmonata: Hygromiidae). Zoological Mededelingen Leiden, 67 (19): 303-320, Leiden 1993 PDF .
- 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 (p. 245).
- Francisco W. Welter-Schultes: European non-marine molluscs, a guide for species identification = identification book for European land and freshwater mollusks. A1-A3 S., 679 S., Q1-Q78 S., Göttingen, Planet Poster Ed., 2012 ISBN 3-933922-75-5 , ISBN 978-3-933922-75-5 (S. 532).
On-line
Individual evidence
- ^ Gary M Barker: Naturalized terrestrial Stylommatophora (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Fauna of New Zealand, 38: 1999 .
- ↑ Patrick Marquez, Jenni Cena: The Presence of Candidula intersecta (Poiret) in the Port of Tacoma, WA (Pierce County). Online at Google Books .
- ↑ Base de dados da Biodiversidad dos Açores: Terrestrial Molluscs: Candidula intersecta (Poiret, 1801) .
- ↑ Páll-Gergely, B. 2013. Candidula intersecta. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T156302A4923169. doi : 10.2305 / IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T156302A4923169.en .
- ^ Vollrath Wiese: The land snails of Germany. 352 pp., Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2014 ISBN 978-3-494-01551-4 (p. 264).
- ^ Jean Louis Marie Poiret: Coquilles fluviatiles et terrestres observées dans le département de l'Aisne et aux environs de Paris. Prodrome. Pp. I-XI, pp. 1-119, Paris, Barrois, & Soissons, Poiret, 1801. Online at www.biodiversitylibrary.org (p. 81).
- ↑ MolluscaBase: Xeroplexa intersecta (Poiret, 1801)
- ^ Fauna Europaea: Candidula intersecta (Poiret 1801) .
