Vitrina pellucida

Western glass-snail
	Shells of Vitrina pellucida
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Order:	Stylommatophora
Family:	Vitrinidae
Subfamily:	Vitrininae
Genus:	Vitrina
Species:	V. pellucida
Binomial name
	Vitrina pellucida; (O. F. Müller, 1774)
Synonyms
	Helix domestica Strøm, 1765 (nomen oblitum); Helix elliptica T. Brown, 1818 junior subjective synonym; Helix limacoides v. Alten, 1812 (junior synonym); Helix pellucida O. F. Müller, 1774 · (original combination); Hyalina pellucida (O. F. Müller, 1774) ·; Vitrina (Vitrina) pellucida (O. F. Müller, 1774) ·; Vitrina alaskana Dall, 1905 ·; Vitrina alpina Gredler, 1856 junior subjective synonym; Vitrina beryllina C. Pfeiffer, 1821 (junior synonym); Vitrina bielzi M. Kimakowicz, 1890 (junior synonym); Vitrina depressa Jeffreys, 1830 junior subjective synonym; Vitrina globosa O. Boettger, 1880 junior subjective synonym; Vitrina hiemalis C. Koch, 1876 junior subjective synonym; Vitrina muelleri Jeffreys, 1830 junior subjective synonym; Vitrina pellucida var. bellardii Pollonera, 1884 junior subjective synonym; Vitrina pellucida var. brunnensis Uličný, 1883 junior subjective synonym; Vitrina pellucida var. perforata Westerlund, 1876 junior subjective synonym; Vitrina pfeifferi Newcomb, 1861 (homonym; non Deshayes, 1851); Vitrina rhodopensis A. J. Wagner, 1911 (junior synonym); Vitrina servainiana Saint-Simon, 1870> junior subjective synonym;

Vitrina pellucida is species of small land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Vitrinidae, the glass snails.^[4]

Description

This species is a 'semi-slug' with a flattened, globular shell. The animal is pale grey with darker head and tentacles. It is large in comparison with the shell, and cannot completely retreat into it. The shell is subglobose, somewhat smooth, pellucid and greenish hyaline in colour. The shell has 3 whorls that enlarge rapidly and are somewhat convex. The body whorl is wide and a little flattened below. The suture is wrinkled. The aperture is lunately rounded.^[5] The umbilicus is very small.^[6]

The width of the shell is 6 mm, the height is 3.5 mm.^[5]

Apical view of the shell of *Vitrina pellucida*.

Umbilical view of the shell of *Vitrina pellucida*.

Distribution

This species is known to occur in a number of countries and islands in Western Europe and Central Europe, including:

Ecology

Predators: This snail is eaten by hedgehogs.^[5]

Food: This species eats liverworts (Jungermanniaceae) and decayed leaves. It will also eat dead earthworms and horse manure.^[5]

Habitat: These snails live in moist and shady places, but are not usually observed until late in the autumn.^[5] These snails occur both in natural and modified habitats, such as in meadows and grasslands, in deciduous and coniferous forests, and in wasteground.^[9]

Eggs: The eggs are deposited in small heaps, and have a membraneous covering.^[5]

Parasites of Vitrina pellucida include:

Elaphostrongylus spp.^[10]

References

This article incorporates public domain text from the reference^[5]

^ "Vitrina pellucida". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
^ Páll-Gergely, B. (2018) [errata version of 2011 assessment]. "Vitrina pellucida (Europe assessment)". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011: e.T157025A128448006. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
^ Müller O. F. (1774). Vermivm terrestrium et fluviatilium, seu animalium infusoriorum, helminthicorum, et testaceorum, non marinorum, succincta historia. Volumen alterum. - pp. I-XXVI [= 1-36], 1-214, [1-10]. Havniæ & Lipsiæ. (Heineck & Faber).
^ MolluscaBase eds. (2023). MolluscaBase. Vitrina pellucida (O. F. Müller, 1774). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1002895 on 2023-06-15
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Tryon G. W. (1885). Manual of Conchology; structural and systematic. With illustrations of the species. Second series: Pulmonata. (2)1: 141-143. Plate 30, fig. 12-16.
^ Wiese, V. (2014). Die Landschnecken Deutschlands: Finden - Erkennen – Bestimmen. Quelle & Meyer: Wiebelsheim.
^ ^a ^b (in Czech) Horsák M., Juřičková L., Beran L., Čejka T. & Dvořák L. (2010). "Komentovaný seznam měkkýšů zjištěných ve volné přírodě České a Slovenské republiky. [Annotated list of mollusc species recorded outdoors in the Czech and Slovak Republics]". Malacologica Bohemoslovaca, Suppl. 1: 1-37. PDF.
^ Balashov I. & Gural-Sverlova N. (2012). "An annotated checklist of the terrestrial molluscs of Ukraine". Journal of Conchology 41(1): 91-109.
^ Welter-Schultes, F.W. 2012. European non-marine molluscs, a guide for species identification: Bestimmungsbuch für europäische Land- und Süsswassermollusken. Planet Poster Editions: Göttingen.
^ Olsson I.-M., Stéen M. & Mann H. (1993). "Gastropod hosts of Elaphostrongylus spp. (Protostrongylidae, Nematoda)". Rangifer 13(1): 53-55. PDF.

Strøm, H. (1765). Beskrivelse over Norske insecter, forste stykke. Det Trondheimske Selskab Skrifter. 3: 376–439, pl. VI.
Alten, J. W. von. (1812). Systematische Abhandlung über die Erd- und Flußconchylien welche um Augsburg und der umliegenden Gegend gefunden werden. I-XVI, 1–120, Tab. I-XIV.
Pollonera, C. (1884). Monografia del genere Vitrina. Atti della R. Accademia delle Scienze di Torino. 19 (3): 322–342, pl. 10.
Uličný, J. (1883). Bericht über eine neue Varietät von Vitrina pellucida. Malakozoologische Blätter, Kassel, VI N. F., 200–203.
Koch, C. (1876). Ueber einige Mollusken und Arachniden der Oetzthaler Hochalpen. Zeitschrift des deutschen und oesterreichischen Alpenvereins. 7: 217–220.
Bank, R. A.; Neubert, E. (2017). Checklist of the land and freshwater Gastropoda of Europe. Last update: July 16, 2017
Hausdorf, B. (1995). The Vitrinidae of Turkey, with remarks on the phylogeny of Gallandia(Gastropoda: Stylommatophora). Zoologischer Anzeiger, 234: 63–74.
Sysoev, A. V. & Schileyko, A. A. (2009). Land snails and slugs of Russia and adjacent countries. Sofia/Moskva (Pensoft). 312 pp., 142 plates.

External links

[1] "Vitrina pellucida". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.

[IUCN-2] Páll-Gergely, B. (2018) [errata version of 2011 assessment]. "Vitrina pellucida (Europe assessment)". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011: e.T157025A128448006. Retrieved 15 June 2023.

[3] Müller O. F. (1774). Vermivm terrestrium et fluviatilium, seu animalium infusoriorum, helminthicorum, et testaceorum, non marinorum, succincta historia. Volumen alterum. - pp. I-XXVI [= 1-36], 1-214, [1-10]. Havniæ & Lipsiæ. (Heineck & Faber).

[WoRMS-4] MolluscaBase eds. (2023). MolluscaBase. Vitrina pellucida (O. F. Müller, 1774). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1002895 on 2023-06-15

[Tryon-5] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Tryon G. W. (1885). Manual of Conchology; structural and systematic. With illustrations of the species. Second series: Pulmonata. (2)1: 141-143. Plate 30, fig. 12-16.

[6] Wiese, V. (2014). Die Landschnecken Deutschlands: Finden - Erkennen – Bestimmen. Quelle & Meyer: Wiebelsheim.

[Horsák_2010-7] (in Czech) Horsák M., Juřičková L., Beran L., Čejka T. & Dvořák L. (2010). "Komentovaný seznam měkkýšů zjištěných ve volné přírodě České a Slovenské republiky. [Annotated list of mollusc species recorded outdoors in the Czech and Slovak Republics]". Malacologica Bohemoslovaca, Suppl. 1: 1-37. PDF.

[Balashov-8] Balashov I. & Gural-Sverlova N. (2012). "An annotated checklist of the terrestrial molluscs of Ukraine". Journal of Conchology 41(1): 91-109.

[9] Welter-Schultes, F.W. 2012. European non-marine molluscs, a guide for species identification: Bestimmungsbuch für europäische Land- und Süsswassermollusken. Planet Poster Editions: Göttingen.

[Olsson_1993-10] Olsson I.-M., Stéen M. & Mann H. (1993). "Gastropod hosts of Elaphostrongylus spp. (Protostrongylidae, Nematoda)". Rangifer 13(1): 53-55. PDF.

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