Common mud snail

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Common mud snail
Common mud snail

Common mud snail

Systematics
Order : Lung snails (pulmonata)
Subordination : Water lung snails (Basommatophora)
Family : Mud snails (Lymnaeidae)
Subfamily : Radicinae
Genre : Radix
Type : Common mud snail
Scientific name
Radix balthica
( Linnaeus , 1758)

The common mud snail , also egg-shaped mud snail ( Radix balthica ), is a European water lung snail from the family of mud snails (Lymnaeidae). The species appears in the literature under various scientific names, traditionally often as Radix ovata .

features

The shell is right-handed and egg-shaped (hence the second name: egg-shaped mud snail). The thread is small, the mouth is ovoid. The 4-4.5 turns increase rapidly but relatively uniformly in height and width. The outline is slightly convex. It is colored light brown to yellow olive. The shape of the housing shows great intraspecific variability. The shell is thin, the dark spotted body of the animal shines through the shell. The length of the case is about 20-25 mm, the width 14-17 mm and the mouth is up to 19 mm high.

Way of life

Reproduction : The animals are hermaphrodites like all representatives of the mud snails, but have separate sexual openings. The eggs are laid in gelatinous strings on hard substrate, stones, wood or water plants. The development takes place via yolk-rich eggs from which finished small animals hatch. The animals are about 1 year old. Copulation and oviposition take place from March.

Respiration : By moving the mantle muscles, the animals can change their density and quickly rise to the surface of the water or sink quickly.

Occurrence and distribution

The species has been recorded in Europe since the Pleistocene . It lives in backwaters, brooks, slowly flowing areas of rivers and in lakes. It lives primarily on green algae, diatoms and detritus. In the Alps it occurs at an altitude of up to 2800 m. It is widespread in the Palearctic and even occurs in Iceland, but is absent in southern Spain and southern Greece. It is quite common in the appropriate habitats.

Similar species

The ear mud snail ( Radix auricularia ) can be very similar to the extreme forms of R. balthica . However, the outer edge of the housing is concave here. This species also usually has a strongly bent inner edge.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Molluscs of central Europe

literature

  • Rosina Fechter, Gerhard Falkner: Mollusks. 287 pp., Mosaik-Verlag, Munich 1990 (Steinbach's Nature Guide 10), ISBN 3-570-03414-3
  • Peter Glöer: The animal world of Germany. Mollusca I Freshwater gastropods of Northern and Central Europe Key to identification, way of life, distribution. 2. rework. Ed., 327 pages, ConchBooks, Hackenheim 2002 ISBN 3-925919-60-0

Web links

Commons : Common mud snail ( Radix balthica )  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files