Zonitoides_nitidus

<i>Zonitoides nitidus</i>

Zonitoides nitidus

Species of gastropod

Zonitoides nitidus (sometimes Zonitoides nitida),[2] also known as the shiny glass snail or black gloss, is a species of small, air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Gastrodontidae.[3]

Quick Facts Zonitoides nitidus, Scientific classification ...

Zonitoides nitidus is the type species of the genus Zonitoides.

Distribution

Distribution

The distribution of Zonitoides nitidus includes the Holarctic zone. It is found almost all over Europe except the southernmost regions:[4]

The non-indigenous distribution of this species includes:

Description

Photo of the shell.

The shell is reddish brown.[4] The umbilicus is large (almost 25% of shell diameter).[4] The shell is with radial growth lines.[4] The width of the shell is 6–7 mm.[4] The height of the shell is 3.5–4.0 mm.[4]

The animal is black with a characteristic orange dash: the (mantle gland is visible under the shell's aperture).[4]

Juveniles are whitish grey with light brown translucent shells.[4]

Ecology

Zonitoides nitidus occurs in wet meadows and river woods, usually near water bodies, swamps and swampy forests, in the zone of emergent vegetation.[4] Man-made habitats such as pools in old quarries are sometimes colonized after a few years.[4] In Switzerland it is found up to 2100m of altitude.[4]

Zonitoides nitidus is herbivorous.[4] These snails feed on disintegrating leaves, mushrooms, roots and fruit.[4] They do not eat dry leaves.[4] Humid leaves are preferred.[4] When consuming soft food such as mushrooms or soft fruits, Zonitoides nitidus penetrates perpendicularly inside, producing characteristic holes; the entire animal including its shell can penetrate inside the fruit.[4] Z. nitidus mainly eat decayed plant, algae, and fungus, and prey upon snails and bivalve species from June to August.[9]

In Germany up to three clutches of 2–9 eggs per individual are laid in all seasons, with some days or weeks spacing between egg-laying.[4] Egg diameter is 1.0–1.6 mm.[4] Eggs are laid loose into the soil.[4] Juveniles have 1.5 whorls (diameter 1–1.2 mm) after hatching.[4] They start feeding on disintegrating plant remains in the soil.[4] After 3 months the shell diameter reaches up to 3 mm under favourable conditions, after 10 months 6 mm, and full size after slightly more than one year.[4] Maximum age is 18 months under laboratory conditions.[4]

Parasites of Zonitoides nitidus include:

References

This article incorporates public domain text from the reference.[4]

  1. [1]
    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).
  2. [2]
    "Zonitoides nitida". Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Archived from the original on 2016-12-25. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  3. [3]
    Bieler R, Bouchet P, Gofas S, Marshall B, Rosenberg G, La Perna R, Neubauer TA, Sartori AF, Schneider S, Vos C, ter Poorten JJ, Taylor J, Dijkstra H, Finn J, Bank R, Neubert E, Moretzsohn F, Faber M, Houart R, Picton B, Garcia-Alvarez O (eds.). "Zonitoides nitidus (O. F. Müller, 1774)". MolluscaBase. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  4. [4]
    "Species summary for Zonitoides nitidus". AnimalBase, last modified 29 August 2010, accessed 3 September 2010.
  5. [5]
    Juřičková L., Horsák M. & Beran L. (2001). "Check-list of the molluscs (Mollusca) of the Czech Republic". Acta Soc. Zool. Bohem. 65: 25–40.
  6. [6]
    "Anemoon > Flora en Fauna > Soorteninformatie". www.anemoon.org.
  7. [7]
    Shikov, Evgeniy V. (2013). "The penial stalk of the Zonitoides nitidus (O. F. Müller, 1774) (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Gastrodontidae) spermathecal duct as an allosperm container". Folia Malacologica. 21 (3): 121–125. doi:10.12657/folmal.021.015.
  8. [8]
    Balashov I. & Gural-Sverlova N. 2012. An annotated checklist of the terrestrial molluscs of Ukraine. Journal of Conchology. 41 (1): 91–109.
  9. [9]
    Rondelaud, Daniel; Vignoles, Philippe; Dreyfuss, Gilles; Mage, Christian (2006). "The control of Galba truncatula (Gastropoda: Lymnaeidae) by the terrestrial snail Zonitoides nitidus on acid soils". Biological Control. 39 (3): 290–299. Bibcode:2006BiolC..39..290R. doi:10.1016/j.biocontrol.2006.07.015.
  10. [10]
    Olsson I.-M., Stéen M. & Mann H. (1993). "Gastropod hosts of Elaphostrongylus spp. (Protostrongylidae, Nematoda)". Rangifer 13(1): 53–55. PDF.
  11. [11]
    Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment. "Brainworm". accessed 14 December 2010.
  • Minato, H. (1988). A systematic and bibliographic list of the Japanese land snails. H. Minato, Shirahama, 294 pp., 7 pls.
  • Riedel, A. (1995). Zonitidae sensu lato (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora) der Türkei. Übersicht der Arten. Fragmenta Faunistica, 38 (1): 1–86. Warszawa
  • Sysoev, A. V. & Schileyko, A. A. (2009). Land snails and slugs of Russia and adjacent countries. Sofia/Moskva (Pensoft). 312 pp., 142 plates.
  • Bank, R. A.; Neubert, E. (2017). Checklist of the land and freshwater Gastropoda of Europe. Last update: July 16, 2017
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