''Omphiscola glabra'' (Synonym: Stagnicola glaber (O. F. Müller, 1774)) is a species of small to medium-size, air-breathing,

freshwater snail Freshwater snails are gastropod mollusks which live in fresh water. There are many different families. They are found throughout the world in various habitats, ranging from ephemeral pools to the largest lakes, and from small seeps and springs ...

, an aquatic

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 in the family Lymnaeidae.Glöer P. (2002). Überfamilie Lymnaeoidea Rafinesque 1815. Familie Lymnaeidae Lamarck 1812. In: Glöer P. (ed.) ''Die Süßwassergastropoden Nord-und Mitteleuropas''. Bestimmungschlüssel, Lebensweise, Verbreitung. Die Tierwelt Deutschlands 73. Conchbooks, Hackenheim, pp. 200–232. ''Omphiscola glabra'' is the type species of the genus ''Omphiscola''."Species in genus ''Omphiscola''"
AnimalBase, accessed 31 July 2010.

Distribution

This European snail can be found from southern Scandinavia (61° N) to southern Spain. * endangered in Germany. Critically endangered in Western Germany (Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Hessen). Extinct in Bavaria. * Netherlands * one site in the south east of Ireland was found in 2009, but it is listed as extinct on the local Red List (2009). * vulnerable in Great Britain The distribution of ''Omphiscola glabra'' is very scattered and rare. It is seriously threatened, and has become locally extinct in many places. It is threatened by continuing habitat destruction because of drainage and intensive farming. Acriculturally induced eutrophication is also a threat. ''Omphiscola glabra'' has disappeared widely from urbanized areas such as London. Omphiscola glabra shell

Shell description

The shell is strongly cylindrical, horny, often with a brownish or blackish surface, the apex is blunt, 7–8 moderately convex

whorls A whorl ( or ) is an individual circle, oval, volution or equivalent in a whorled pattern, which consists of a spiral or multiple concentric objects (including circles, ovals and arcs). Whorls in nature File:Photograph and axial plane floral d ...

, with last whorl being twice as high as the narrow aperture, and with aperture often with white lip. The height of the shell is 9–12 mm, up to 15 mm or up to 20 mm. The width of the shell is 3–4 mm, up to 5.5 mm. Jackiewicz M. (2000). ''Blotniarky Europy (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Lymnaeidae)''. Wydawnictwo Kontekst, Poznań. 115 pp. Omphiscola glabra shell

Habitat

This snail lives in places such as swampy meadows and ditches. ''Omphiscola glabra'' is said to occur in small areas of standing water that have a lot of vegetation such as swamps, and also in standing forest waters with leaf litter, often in water with organic iron contents and low calcium contents. In Central France, the populations of ''Omphiscola glabra'' are currently declining because its habitat is threatened by modern agricultural practices. In Britain however, this species occurs in small standing waters that are low in nutrients, with poor aquatic flora, often in waters drying out periodically. They usually do not occur in habitats with high molluscan diversity, and usually in habitats on uncultivated land. They are

calciphile A calcicole, calciphyte or calciphile is a plant that thrives in lime rich soil. The word is derived from the Latin 'to dwell on chalk'. Under acidic conditions, aluminium becomes more soluble and phosphate less. As a consequence, calcicoles grown ...

and have a pH tolerance of 5.4–8.8. Reproduction begins in May. Juveniles hatch after 15–25 days. ''Omphiscola glabra'' has two generations per year.

Parasites

''Omphiscola glabra'' can serve as an intermediate host for several

digenea Digenea (Gr. ''Dis'' – double, ''Genos'' – race) is a class of trematodes in the Platyhelminthes phylum, consisting of parasitic flatworms (known as ''flukes'') with a syncytial tegument and, usually, two suckers, one ventral and one oral. ...

n trematodes. In France, ''Omphiscola glabra'' is naturally infected with '' Fasciola hepatica'', '' Calicophoron daubneyi'', and ''

Haplometra cylindracea ''Haplometra cylindracea'' is a trematode parasite of frogs. Adult worms measure usually 10 mm and they are located in the lungs. ''H. cylindracea'' develops through 2 intermediate hosts: the first, a freshwater snail, the second, a water b ...

''; in all, seven

n species parasitize ''O. glabra'' in the

Brenne Regional Natural Park Brenne has the following meanings: * An historical region in the south of the Berry (province) of France * A regional natural park, the Parc naturel régional de la Brenne in the Indre ''département'' of France * Brenne (river) The Brenne () is a ...

, central France. Moreover, a report suggests that the species is also susceptible to ''

Fascioloides magna ''Fascioloides magna'', also known as giant liver fluke, large American liver fluke or deer fluke, is trematode parasite that occurs in wild and domestic ruminants in North America and Europe. Adult flukes occur in the liver of the definitive hos ...

'' infection.

References

This article incorporates public domain text from the reference."Species summary for ''Omphiscola glabra''"
AnimalBase. Last modified 24-02-2009, accessed 31 July 2010.

External links

''Omphiscola glabra''
at Animalbase taxonomy,short description, distribution, biology,status (threats), images {{DEFAULTSORT:Omphiscola Glabra Lymnaeidae Gastropods described in 1774 Gastropods of Europe Taxa named by Otto Friedrich Müller