Striped heather snail
| Striped heather snail | ||||||||||||
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Striped heather snail ( Helicopsis striata ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Helicopsis striata | ||||||||||||
| ( OV Müller , 1774) |
The helicopsis striata ( Helicopsis striata ), even heath snail called a snail from the family of Geomitridae in the order of snails (Pulmonata).
features
The slightly pressed, conical and comparatively small case measures 4.5 to 6.5 mm in height and 6 to 9 mm in width. The protoconch measures 1.5 mm in diameter. The 4 to 4.5 whorls, which increase regularly, are well rounded on the periphery. They form a moderately deep seam. The last turn only lowers slightly towards the mouth. The umbilicus is moderately wide (umbilicus to housing width about 0.21). The navel is often slightly enlarged by the last half turn. The mouth is rounded with sharp edges and often with a distinct white lip.
The shell of the case is whitish and opaque. The surface shows coarse and somewhat irregular, rib-like, reinforced growth strips. The drawing consists of dark, often interrupted bands and is very variable.
In the female part of the hermaphroditic genital tract, the genital atrium is very short. There are four arrow sacks attached to the vagina, two very large outer arrow sacks containing the love arrows and two very small accessory inner arrow sacks. Above it sit two to four glandulae mucosae, each of which divides into one to four arms. The free fallopian tube is very short, two to three times shorter than the vagina. The stem of the spermathek is approximately cylindrical and quite long. The bladder comes to rest at the level of the egg ladder, but reaches the albumin gland. In the male tract, the vas deferens penetrates the epiphallus at a roughly right angle. This is about three times as long as the flagellum. The penis is comparatively long and thick, and clearly separated from the epiphallus, which is about twice as long. The penile retractor muscle attaches to the distal end of the epiphallus (according to Schileyko).
Similar species
The shell of the striped heather snail is very similar to that of the dwarf heather snail ( Xerocrassa geyeri ). A reliable differentiation is only possible through an anatomical examination of the genital apparatus. In Helicopsis striata, the protoconch is slightly larger (1.5 mm to 1 mm), the navel is slightly wider (0.21 to 0.15). In addition, the ribs are a little more regular. In the genital apparatus of the dwarf heather snail there are only two rudimentary arrow sacks, which also contain no arrows. The striped heather snail has four well-formed arrow sacks, of which the outer arrow sacks also contain love arrows.
The marsh snail ( Candidula unifasciata ) also has a similar shell with a similar pattern. It is a little more conical on average. The inner lip is more thickened at the base. The spotted heather snail ( Candidula intersecta ), on the other hand, has a slightly more depressed shell.
Geographical distribution and habitat
The very scattered distribution area of the striped heather snail stretches from eastern France (only Dépt. Haut-Rhin ) in the west to southern Russia and Asia Minor in the east. The northern limit of distribution runs north of the Harz to the Oder. Due to the confusion with the dwarf heather snail ( Xerocrassa geyeri ), the distribution area in Austria has expanded. All records of the dwarf heather snail are to be deleted there, as all specimen copies of Helicopsis striata are to be provided.
The striped heather snail prefers dry and open, mostly rocky locations. But it also lives on fields or open sand pits that have been abandoned.
Taxonomy
The taxon was described by Otto Friedrich Müller in 1774 as Helix striata . It is the type species of the genus Helicopsis Fitzinger, 1833. Currently, the species is divided into three subspecies, which can also be differentiated molecular-biologically:
- Helicopsis striata striata (the nominate subspecies)
- Austrian heather snail ( Helicopsis striata austriaca Gittenberger, 1969)
- Helicopsis striata hungarica (Soós & H. Wagner, 1935)
The Fauna Europaea has the following synonyms : Helix costulata C. Pfeiffer, 1828, Martha podolica Polinski, 1922, Helicella convexior F. Haas, 1936, Xerophila cappadocica Sturany, 1904 and Helix lunulata Krynicki, 1833.
Danger
The species is classified as not endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in terms of its entire range. Regionally, however, the situation is different. In Germany it is acutely threatened with extinction. In Austria, in addition to the nominate subspecies, which is not endangered, the subspecies Helicops striata austriaca also occurs. Here the populations have effectively collapsed and the subspecies is currently only detected at two locations on military training areas; it is also acutely threatened with extinction.
supporting documents
literature
- Rosina Fechter and Gerhard Falkner: molluscs. 287 p., Mosaik-Verlag, Munich 1990 (Steinbach's Nature Guide 10), ISBN 3-570-03414-3 , (p. 210)
- Michael P. Kerney, RAD Cameron & Jürgen H. Jungbluth: The land snails of Northern and Central Europe. 384 p., Paul Parey, Hamburg & Berlin 1983, ISBN 3-490-17918-8 , (p. 251/2)
- 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. 542)
On-line
Individual evidence
- ↑ mollbase.de Helicopsis (Helicopsis) striata (OF Müller 1774) Striped heather snail
- ↑ Anatolij A. Schileyko: Treatise on Recent terrestrial pulmonate molluscs, Part 14 Helicodontidae, Ciliellidae, Hygromiidae. Ruthenica, Supplement 2 (14): 1907-2047, Moscow 2006 ISSN 0136-0027 (publication date corrected in vol. 15, p. 2115) (p. 1946, illustration of the sexual apparatus)
- ↑ Cernuella neglecta on the Inventaire National du Patrimoine Naturel website (French)
- ↑ Nina V. Gural-Sverlova: Preliminary results of anatomical study of molluscs of the genus Helicopsis (Hygromiidae) of Crimea and Black Sea Lowland. Ruthenica, 22 (1): 15-34, St. Petersburg 2012 Online
- ↑ a b Alexander Reischütz, Peter L. Reischütz: Red List of Molluscs (Mollusca) Austria. In: Klaus Peter Zulka (ed.): Red lists of endangered animals in Austria: reptiles, amphibians, fish, moths, mollusks. Pp. 363-434, Böhlau-Verlag, Vienna 2007 ISBN 978-3-205-77478-5 (p. 410/1).
- ↑ Otto Friedrich Müller: Vermivm terrestrium et fluviatilium, seu animalium infusoriorum, helminthicorum, et testaceorum, non marinorum, succincta historia . Volume alterum. pp. I-XXVI [= 1-36], 1-214, [1-10]. Heineck & Faber, Havniae & Lipsiae, 1774 Online at www.biodiversitylibrary.org (p. 38).
- ↑ Anita Eschner, Kathrina Jaksch: Small heath snails - major questions: Initial attempts to clarify the situation of Helicopsis striata in Austria .
- ↑ Fauna Europea: Helicopsis striata (OF Müller 1774)
- ↑ by Proschwitz, T. & Neubert, E. 2013. Helicopsis striata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2013: e.T157067A5029207. doi : 10.2305 / IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T157067A5029207.en . Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ Vollrath Wiese: The land snails of Germany. 352 pp., Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2014 ISBN 978-3-494-01551-4 (p. 268)
