Cernuella virgata

Cernuella virgata, also known as Helicella virgata, common name, the "vineyard snail", is a species of small, air-breathing land snail, a pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Geomitridae.MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Cernuella virgata (Da Costa, 1778). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=426375 on 5 August 2020

This species of snail makes and uses love darts.

Shell description The shell is from 6 to 19 mm in height and 8 to 25 mm in width.

The coloration of the shell is quite variable, but there is often a creamy-white background, with a variable number of pale to darker brown markings. Some shells are banded at the periphery and on the underside.

Technical description For terms see gastropod shell

The 15 x 12–23 mm. shell has 4.5–5.5 convex whorls. The last whorl is initially angulated or rounded. The aperture is rounded with a whitish or reddish lip inside and margin is not reflected, The umbilicus is always open, 1/10-1/6 of shell diameter and sometimes slightly excentric. The colour of the periostracum is whitish or yellowish, sometimes with red hue and usually with two brown colour bands on the upper side and 3–4 narrower bands on the lower side, initially finely ribbed, weakly striated at lower whorls.

Distribution

This snail is endemic to Mediterranean and Western Europe, including the British Isles.Kerney M.P. & Cameron R. A. D., 1979. A field guide to the land snails of Britain and northwestern Europe. Collins, London, . This species has been recovered from the Roman occupation of Volubilis, an archaeological site in present-day Morocco.C. Michael Hogan (2007) Volubilis, The Megalithic Portal, ed. A. Burnham

Cernuella virgata is an invasive species and an agricultural pest in parts of Australia, where it arrived around 1920. In Australia it is known as the "common white snail".Barker G. M. 2004. Natural Enemies of Terrestrial Molluscs, CABI Publishing, 644 pp., Common white snail or Mediterranean white snail, Quarantine Tasmania fact sheet. Tasmania's Department of Primary Industries and Water.

Another land snail which is present as an invasive in Australia, and which is sometimes confused with C. virgata is the species Theba pisana. It is somewhat similar in appearance, and lives under similar circumstances. Theba pisana is however a larger species with a more inflated shell, lower spire and a nearly covered umbilicus.

Comparison between shells of C. virgata and T. pisana:

Behavior and human relevance This species aestivates after climbing to the top of vegetation (or fences). This habit is problematic for farmers engaged in crop harvesting, because numerous snails are collected along with the crop.

Life cycle The size of the egg is 1.5 mm.Heller J.: Life History Strategies. in Barker G. M. (ed.): The biology of terrestrial molluscs. CABI Publishing, Oxon, UK, 2001, . 1–146, cited page: 428.

Parasites This species is an intermediate host for the terrestrial trematode parasite Brachylaima cribbi.Butcher A. R. & Grove D. I.: Seasonal variation in rates of sporocyst and metacercarial infection by Brachylaima cribbi in helicid and hygromiid land snails on the Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. – Australian Journal of Zoology, 2006, 53(6): 375–382.

Gastronomy

Cernuella virgata, with T. pisana, is consumed in Spain as a "tapa" in the bars, especially in Andalusia, where snails are known as "Chichos" snails.

Synonyms Cernuella (Cernuella) virgata (Da Costa, 1778) · alternate representation Cochlea virgata Da Costa, 1778 · (original name) Helicella (Heliomanes) lineata (Olivi, 1792) · (junior synonym) Helicella (Jacosta) jentteri Lindholm, 1926 · Helicella (Xerocincta) neglecta M. R. Alonso, 1975 · (junior synonym) Helicella (Xeromagna) submeridionalis M. R. Alonso, 1975 · (junior synonym) Helicella virgata (da Costa, 1778) · (superseded generic combination) Helix (Helicella) lauta R. T. Lowe, 1831 · (junior synonym) Helix (Xerophila) amblia Westerlund, 1893 · (junior synonym) Helix (Xerophila) lineata Olivi, 1792 · (superseded combination) Helix aglaometa J. Mabille, 1882 · (junior synonym) Helix alluvionum Servain, 1880 · (junior synonym) Helix aradasii Pirajno, 1842 · (junior synonym) Helix blasi Servain, 1880 · (junior synonym) Helix canovasiana Servain, 1880 · (junior synonym) Helix castroiana Servain, 1880 · (junior synonym) Helix edetanorum Servain, 1880 · (junior synonym) Helix finitimus Locard, 1899 · (junior synonym) Helix grannonensis Bourguignat in Servain, 1880 · (junior synonym) Helix hamilcaris Kobelt, 1877 · (junior synonym) Helix lineata Olivi, 1792 Helix lululenta Locard, 1899 · (junior synonym) Helix luteata L. Pfeiffer, 1857 · (junior synonym) Helix luteola var. minor Servain, 1880 · (junior synonym) Helix mendranoi Servain, 1880 · (junior synonym) Helix parva L. Pfeiffer, 1848 · (junior synonym) Helix phryganophila J. Mabille, 1882 · (junior synonym) Helix rufolabris L. Pfeiffer, 1856 · (junior synonym) Helix solanoi Servain, 1880 · (junior synonym) Helix subluteata Servain, 1880 · (junior synonym) Helix tergestina Rossmässler, 1837 · (junior synonym) Helix terrosa Locard, 1899 · (junior synonym) Helix uberta Locard, 1899 · (junior synonym) Helix virgata (da Costa, 1778) · (superseded combination) Helix virgata var. alba J. W. Taylor, 1883 · (invalid; name preoccupied) Helix virgata var. leucozona J. W. Taylor, 1883 · (invalid; not C. Pfeiffer, 1828) Helix virgata var. major J. W. Taylor, 1883 · (invalid; name preoccupied) Helix virgata var. minor J. W. Taylor, 1883 · (invalid; name preoccupied) Helix xalonica Servain, 1880 · (junior synonym) Xerophila virgata (Da Costa, 1778) Xerophila virgata croatiae Kormos, 1906 · (suspected synonym)

Cernuella virgata

Bron en licentie