Helicella itala facts for kids
Helicella itala is a type of medium-sized land snail that breathes air. It's also known as the heath snail. These snails are a kind of mollusc, like clams and octopuses, but they live on land. They belong to a family called Geomitridae, which includes snails often known as "hairy snails" and their relatives.
Quick facts for kids Helicella itala |
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Helicella
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itala
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There are two main types, or subspecies, of the heath snail:
- Helicella itala itala (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Helicella itala pampelonensis (A. Schmidt, 1855)
Contents
Life Cycle of the Heath Snail
The eggs of the heath snail are quite small, about 1.5 millimeters wide.
When these snails mate, they use something special called a love dart. This dart is a sharp, calcium-rich structure that one snail "shoots" into the other. It's part of their unique mating ritual.
What Does the Heath Snail Look Like?
The shell of the heath snail is usually between 12 and 20 millimeters wide. It looks broad and quite flat, with a low, rounded top part called the spire. The opening in the center of the shell, called the umbilicus, is very wide.
The shell has slightly curved sections called whorls, and the lines between these sections (sutures) are not very deep. The main opening of the shell, called the aperture, is oval-shaped and doesn't have a ridge inside.
The outer layer of the shell, known as the periostracum, is usually white or a light yellow-brown color. Often, but not always, you'll see dark brown or yellow-brown spiral stripes on the shell. The surface also has fine, bumpy lines that show how the shell grew over time.
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banded form, top view
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banded form, bottom view
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white form, top view
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Heath snail (Helicella itala) white form, bottom view
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Where Do Heath Snails Live?
The common heath snail is found in many parts of western Palearctic region, which includes Europe. You can find them in places like the British Isles, France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Poland.
Heath Snail Habitats
These snails prefer dry, open areas. They often live along roadsides and railway tracks, in sandy areas with plants (like sand dunes), on rocks, and in short grassy fields. They can even be found high up in mountains, like the Alps and Pyrenees, living up to 2000 meters (about 6,500 feet) above sea level.
