''Caseolus sphaerula'' is a
species of small
land snail
A land snail is any of the numerous species of snail that live on land, as opposed to the sea snails and freshwater snails. ''Land snail'' is the common name for terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have shells (those without shells are known as ...
, a
terrestrial pulmonate
Pulmonata or pulmonates, is an informal group (previously an order, and before that a subclass) of snails and slugs characterized by the ability to breathe air, by virtue of having a pallial lung instead of a gill, or gills. The group includ ...
gastropod
The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda ().
This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...
mollusk.
The specific epithet is spelled ''sphaerulus'' in both of the references here cited, however the species is also often referred to as ''C. sphaerula'', for example in the
Convention of Berne and the
Habitats Directive. The species was named as ''Helix (Caseolus) sphaerula''. In Latin,"sphaerula" is a noun meaning "little sphere", so it does not change ending.
Distribution and conservation status
This species of land snail lives in
Madeira
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, song_type = Regional anthem
, image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg
, map_alt=Location of Madeira
, map_caption=Location of Madeira
, subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...
on dry, stony ground.
It is mentioned in annexes II and IV of the
Habitats Directive. This species is threatened by forest replanting, mixed forms of pollution, erosion and the impact of improved access to its habitat. Its future prospects are bad and the species is likely to become extinct in its biogeographical region.
Report on the main results of the surveillance under article 11 for annex II, IV and V species (Annex B) Factsheet : Caseolus sphaerula
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References
Further reading
*Bank R.A., Groh K. & Ripken T. E. J. 2002 Catalogue and bibliography of the non-marine Mollusca of Macaronesia In Falkner, M., Groh, K. & Speight, M. C. D. (eds) Collectanea Malacologica, Festschrift für Gerhard Falkner Conchbooks, Hackenheim, pp. 89–235.
*Cook, L. M., Goodfriend, G. A. & Cameron, R. A. D. 1993. Changes in the land snail fauna of eastern Madeira during the Quaternary. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B, 339, 83-103
*Cameron, R. A. D. & Cook, L. M. (1996). Diversity and durability: responses of the Madeiran and Porto-Santan snail faunas to natural and human-induced environmental change. American Malacological Bulletin, Vol. 12(1/2), 3-12.
*Paiva, C. 1867. Monographia Molluscorum Terrestrium Fluvialium, Lacustrium Isularium Maderensium, Mem. Acad. R. Sci. Lisboa, Cl. Sci. Math. Phys. Nat., N. S. 4 (1): 46.
sphaerulus
Gastropods described in 1852
{{Geomitridae-stub