Hygromia cinctella
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''Hygromia cinctella'', known commonly as the girdled snail, is a small European
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of air-breathing
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 ...
, native to the Mediterranean region, that belongs to the 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 Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000  extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...
subfamily
Hygromiinae ''Hygromiinae'' is a taxonomic subfamily of land snails, terrestrial gastropod molluscs in the family Hygromiidae, the hairy snails and their allies. Tribes * tribe Hygromiini Tryon, 1866 - synonym: Cernuellini Schileyko, 1991 ** ''Hygromia'' Ri ...
of the family
Hygromiidae Hygromiidae is a taxonomic family of small to medium-sized air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicoidea. Helicellidae Ihering, 1909 Anatomy Some snails in genera within this family create ...
.MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Hygromia cinctella (Draparnaud, 1801). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=882572 on 2021-03-13


Description

For terms see
gastropod shell The gastropod shell is part of the body of a Gastropoda, gastropod or snail, a kind of mollusc. The shell is an exoskeleton, which protects from predators, mechanical damage, and dehydration, but also serves for muscle attachment and calcium s ...
''Hygromia cinctella'' possesses a 6–7 × 10–12 mm dextral shell composed of 5–6 whorls with shallow sutures that form a high conical top and a flattened underside. The last whorl is sharply keeled. The keel has a characteristic white edge, which 'girdles' the shell, giving the snail its common name. The aperture is simple without a lip inside. The umbilicus is very narrow and almost covered by the reflected columellar margin. The shell colour is variable, from whitish grey to horny brown, often with dark spots, slightly translucent, finely and rather regularly striated. The animal is light greyish or with a yellowish hue, often with darker greyish or brownish head and tentacles. File:Girdled snail, Hygromia cinctella Hull 3.jpg, Underside of Girdled snail showing the sealed umbilicum File:Girdled snail, Hygromia cinctella Hull.jpg, Active Girdled snail File:Girdled snail, Hygromia cinctella Hull 2.jpg, Girdled snail showing white edge of the shell, keel and pyramidal shape. Variation: In Sicily, colour morphs include green and yellow and reddish, also with colour bands.


Distribution

This snail is native to various
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an countries around the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
, includingSpecies summary for ''Hygromia cinctella''.
AnimalBase.
south-east
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, southern
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, north-west
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, and
Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
. It has been introduced and is becoming rapidly established in
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
,
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
,
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
,
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...
,
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. It has also been recorded in
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. ''Hygromia cinctella'' was described as new to Britain by writer
Alex Comfort Alexander Comfort (10 February 1920 – 26 March 2000) was a British scientist and physician known best for his nonfiction sex manual, ''The Joy of Sex'' (1972). He was an author of both fiction and nonfiction, as well as a gerontologist, ...
based on specimens he had found in the Paignton area of Devon in April 1950. Subsequently, it was realised that specimens of this species had actually been found in the area from 1945 onwards, but these had been misidentified as the related species and close congener '' Hygromia limbata'', itself a non-native species only discovered in Britain in 1919. It remained predominantly confined to the south-east of England until the mid 1970s, at which point it began to extend its range dramatically. It now has a scattered distribution which extends as far north as
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, the first Scottish record being in Glasgow in 2008. In Britain it seems to favour anthropogenic habitats such as gardens, hedgerows and waste ground. ''Hygromia cinctella'' has so far been discovered at two sites in Ireland; waste ground west of Cork City and a garden near Lisburn where it appears to be persisting. The latter population is thought to have been accidentally introduced along with garden plants brought from a site near
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
.


Behavior

Where they occur, numerous ''Hygromia cinctella'' can often be found together in large aggregations. They can be active at night in humid conditions, on paths and flagstones. They can rest high on walls or in the leaf litter and underside of logs. The species can be active in cold weather and survives very cold winters in Central Europe, therefore its recent expansion might have more to do with increased transportation than with climate change. This species creates and uses love darts in its mating behavior.


References

* Kerney, M.P., Cameron, R.A.D. & Jungbluth, J-H. (1983). Die Landschnecken Nord- und Mitteleuropas. Ein Bestimmungsbuch für Biologen und Naturfreunde, 384 pp., 24 plates. * Walton, K. (2016). Hygromia cinctella (Draparnaud, 1801) (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Hygromiidae): a new adventive land snail for New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Zoology 43. * Van den Neucker T. & Scheers K. (2014). The recent colonisation and rapid spread in Belgium of the alien girdled snail ''Hygromia cinctella'' (Gastropoda: Hygromiidae). Journal of Conchology 41(6):779-780
PDF


External links


Draparnaud, J.-P.-R. (1801). Tableau des mollusques terrestres et fluviatiles de la France. Montpellier / Paris (Renaud / Bossange, Masson & Besson). 1-116''Hygromia cinctella''
at Animalbase taxonomy,short description, distribution, biology,status (threats), images
''Hygromia cinctella''
images at Encyclopedia of Life *
Fauna Europaea Fauna Europaea is a database of the scientific names and distribution of all living multicellular European land and fresh-water animals. It serves as a standard taxonomic source for animal taxonomy within the Pan-European Species directories Infras ...
br>Search
Distribution *Pall-Gergely, B. 2011
''Hygromia cinctella''.
In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. Downloaded on 22 June 2013. {{Taxonbar, from=Q2276111 Hygromia Hygromiidae Molluscs of Europe Gastropods described in 1801