Trochulus hispidus
StatusLC
Status systemIUCN3.1
Status 2G5
Status2 systemTNC
TaxonTrochulus hispidus
Authority(Linnaeus, 1758)[1]
SynonymsTrichia hispida (Linnaeus, 1758)
Trochulus sericeus (O. F. Müller, 1774)
Trochulus plebeius (Draparnaud, 1805)
Helix sericea O. F. Müller, 1774

Trochulus hispidus, previously known as Trichia hispida, common name, the "hairy snail", is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Hygromiidae, the hairy snails and their allies.

Distribution

This species occurs in a number of European countries and islands including:

Western Europe:

Northern Europe:

  • Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland[2]

Central Europe:

Southern Europe:

  • Andorra, Spain, Italy, Bulgaria[2]

Eastern Europe:

  • Moldova
  • Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
  • Ukraine[3]
  • Russian Federation (Kaliningrad)[2]

Description

The 3-6 x 5-11 mm shell has 5-6 moderately convex whorls which are rounded or very slightly keeled at the periphery. The aperture has a thin white lip inside. The umbilicus is open and usually wide at 1/8-1/4 of shell diameter. In colour the shell is brown to cream, sometimes with a light band at the periphery. The periostracum is irregularly striated, and densely covered with short (0.2-0.3 mm), curved hairs. These hairs usually remain in the umbilicus if worn away from the rest of the shell. Lost hairs leave pronounced scars.[4]

The animal is brownish grey with a darker anterior part.[4]

Anatomy

This species of snail creates and uses love darts before mating. The love dart of this species is thorn-shaped.

Shepeleva (2014) studied eyes of Trochulus hispidus.[5]

Ecology

The size of the egg is 1.5 mm.[6]

A hairy snail was found in the plumage of a great tit (Parus major) wintering in southwestern Poland in 2010. This passerine was the smallest bird species reported to carry a gastropod.[7]

References

  1. ^ Linnaeus C. 1758. Systema naturae per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. pp. [1-4], 1-824. Holmiae. (Salvius).
  2. ^ Páll-Gergely, B. (2011). "Trochulus hispidus". Vol. 2011. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T156864A5009056.en. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  3. ^ Balashov I. & Gural-Sverlova N. 2012. An annotated checklist of the terrestrial molluscs of Ukraine. Journal of Conchology. 41 (1): 91-109.
  4. ^ "Species summary for Trochulus hispidus". AnimalBase, last modified 4 January 2014, accessed 28 June 2014.
  5. ^ (in Russian) Shepeleva I. P. (2014). "Сравнительный анализ камерных глаз брюхоногих легочных моллюсков Trochulus hispidus (Linnaeus, 1758) из Южной Швеции и Калининградской области (Stylommatophora, Hygromiidae). A comparative analysis of the camera eyes of gastropod pulmonate mollusk Trochulus hispidus (Linnaeus, 1758) from the South Sweden and Kaliningrad Region (Stylommatophora, Hygromiidae)". Ruthenica 24(2): 123-127 PDF.
  6. ^ Heller J.: Life History Strategies. in Barker G. M. (ed.): The biology of terrestrial molluscs. CABI Publishing, Oxon, UK, 2001, ISBN 0-85199-318-4. 1-146, cited page: 428.
  7. ^ Rusiecki S. & Rusiecka A. 2013. Hairy snail Trochulus hispidus (Linnaeus, 1758) in flight - a note on avian dispersal of snails. Folia Malacologica 21(2):111-112.

Further reading

  • Dépraz A., Hausser J. & Pfenninger M. (2009). "A species delimitation approach in the Trochulus sericeus/hispidus complex reveals two cryptic species within a sharp contact zone". BMC Evolutionary Biology 2009(9): 171. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-9-171
  • Kruckenhauser L., Duda M., Bartel D., Sattmann H., Harl J., Kirchner S. & Haring E. (2014). "Paraphyly and budding speciation in the hairy snail (Pulmonata, Hygromiidae)". Zoologica Scripta, 43(3): 273-288. doi:10.1111/zsc.12046.
  • Proćków M. & Kuźnik-Kowalska E. (2016). "Major fitness components in life history of euryoecious land snail Trochulus hispidus (Linnaeus, 1758)(Gastropoda: Hygromiidae)". Folia Malacologica 24: 179-184. doi:10.12657/folmal.024.015. PDF