Vallonia pulchella
A live individual of Vallonia pulchella
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Order: Stylommatophora
Family: Valloniidae
Genus: Vallonia
Species:
V. pulchella
Binomial name
Vallonia pulchella
Synonyms
  • Helix (Glaphyra) pulchella O. F. Müller, 1774 superseded combination
  • Helix (Vallonia) pulchella O. F. Müller, 1774 superseded combination
  • † Helix (Vallonia) subpulchella var. oenotria De Stefani, 1880 junior subjective synonym (tentative junior synonym)
  • Helix adela Westerlund, 1874 junior subjective synonym
  • Helix extrema Westerlund, 1898 junior subjective synonym
  • Helix minuta Say, 1817 junior subjective synonym
  • Helix paludosa da Costa, 1778 junior subjective synonym
  • Helix pulchella Müller, 1774
  • Vallonia (Vallonia) pulchella (O. F. Müller, 1774) · alternate representation
  • † Vallonia subpulchella oenotria (De Stefani, 1880) junior subjective synonym (tentative junior synonym)

Vallonia pulchella, common name the lovely vallonia, is a species of very small air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Valloniidae.[2]

Apical view of the shell of Vallonia pulchella
Apertural view of the shell of Vallonia pulchella
Basal view of the shell of Vallonia pulchella

Description

For terms see gastropod shell

The shell is circular in outline, with 3.2 - 3.3 whorls. The last whorl is wider immediately before the aperture, and is not much descending. Compared to Vallonia costata, the aperture is not very oblique, and the lip is weaker than in that species. Vallonia pulchella also has slightly more elevated whorls than Vallonia costata. Like other Vallonia species, the umbilicus is very wide.

The shell is ivory-white with very fine and irregular streaks. The soft parts are milky white. The tentacles are short, and the posterior end of the foot is round.

Distribution

This species occurs in several countries and islands, including:

Europe:

America:

Life habits

The size of the egg is 0.5 mm.[9]

In this species some parental care was observed: apparently the eggs were cleaned of fungi.[9] Parental care is very rare in gastropods in general and has otherwise been observed only in the genus Libera.

V. pulchella thrives best in habitats characterized by relatively moist and conductive soil, large soil aggregates, low temperatures at 0-10 cm depth, a well-developed litter layer, low light level, and low numbers of plants which change shape in response to humidity and/or light levels.[10]

In North America it is commonly found in woodlands and suburban gardens.

References

  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. ↑ MolluscaBase eds. (2023). MolluscaBase. Vallonia pulchella (O. F. Müller, 1774). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=875635 on 2023-01-21
  3. 1 2 (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.
  4. ↑ Balashov I. & Gural-Sverlova N. 2012. An annotated checklist of the terrestrial molluscs of Ukraine. Journal of Conchology. 41 (1): 91-109.
  5. ↑ Vallonia pulchella (O. F. Müller 1774) - Glatte Grasschnecke. Accessed 26 April 2009.
  6. ↑ Vallonia pulchella. Stichting ANEMOON, Accessed 26 April 2009.
  7. ↑ Robert G. Forsyth. Terrestrial Gastropods of the Columbia Basin, British Columbia Family Valloniidae. Accessed 25 April 2009.
  8. ↑ Coppolino M.L. 2009. Land Snails of Southern Illinois. Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, USA. Last updated 31 January 2009, accessed 25 April 2009.
  9. 1 2 Heller J.: Life History Strategies. in Barker G. M. (ed.): The biology of terrestrial molluscs. CABI Publishing, Oxon, UK, 2001, ISBN 0-85199-318-4. 1-146, cited pages: 419-420 and page 426.
  10. ↑ Kramarenko, A. S.; Kramarenko, S. S.; Kunakh, O. N.; Zadorozhnaya, G. A.; Zhukov, A. V. (2018). "Intra-population spatial structure of the land snail Vallonia pulchella (Müller, 1774) (Gastropoda; Pulmonata; Valloniidae)" (PDF). Ruthenica. 28 (3): 91–99. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  • Herbert, D. & Kilburn, D. (2004). Field guide to the land snails and slugs of eastern South Africa. Pietermaritzburg: Natal Museum. [v] + 336 pp.
  • Connolly, M. (1939). A monographic survey of South African non-marine Mollusca. Annals of the South African Museum. 33: 1–660.
  • Herbert, D.G. (2010). The introduced terrestrial Mollusca of South Africa. SANBI Biodiversity Series, 15: vi + 108 pp. Pretoria.
  • 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.
  • Sysoev, A. V. & Schileyko, A. A. (2009). Land snails and slugs of Russia and adjacent countries. Sofia/Moskva (Pensoft). 312 pp., 142 plates.
  • Griffiths, O.L. & Florens, V.F.B. (2006). A field guide to the non-marine molluscs of the Mascarene Islands (Mauritius, Rodrigues and Réunion) and the northern dependencies of Mauritius. Bioculture Press: Mauritius. Pp. i–xv, 1–185, pls 1-32.
  • Ramakrishna, Mitra, S, C. & Dey, A. (2010). Annotated checklist of Indian land molluscs. Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, 359 pp.
  • Cameron, R. A. D., Teixeira, D., Pokryszko, B., Silva, I. & Groh, K. (2021). An annotated checklist of the extant and Quaternary land molluscs of the Desertas Islands, Madeiran Archipelago. Journal of Conchology. 44(1): 53–70.
  • Jaeckel, S. (1956). Die Weichtiere (Mollusca) der Afghanistan-Expedition (1952-1953). Mitteilungen aus dem Zoologischen Museum in Berlin. 32(2): 337–353.
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