Renea moutonii singularis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Renea moutonii singularis |
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| Shell of Renea moutonii singularis (specimen at MNHN, Paris) | |
| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Caenogastropoda |
| Order: | Architaenioglossa |
| Superfamily: | Cyclophoroidea |
| Family: | Aciculidae |
| Genus: | Renea |
| Species: |
R. moutonii
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| Subspecies: |
R. m. singularis
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| Trinomial name | |
| Renea moutonii singularis Pollonera, 1905
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| Synonyms | |
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Renea moutonii singularis is a special type of land snail. It's a tiny mollusk that lives on land and has a shell. This snail also has a small "door" called an operculum that can close its shell opening. It belongs to a group of snails called gastropods and is part of the Aciculidae family. This snail was first described by a scientist named Pollonera in 1905. Many people call it the needle snail because of its shape.
Where Does the Needle Snail Live?
This specific snail subspecies is found only in France. It is endemic to France, meaning it naturally lives nowhere else in the world. Its home is a very small area within the Alpes-Maritimes region, specifically in the Loup and Siagne valleys.
Because it lives in such a tiny area and isn't very common there, it's considered to be in danger. The IUCN Red List of Endangered Species lists Renea moutonii singularis as vulnerable. This means it could become endangered if its habitat isn't protected.
What Does the Needle Snail Look Like?
These tiny snails are usually between 3 and 4 millimeters long. That's about the size of a small ant! They are also very thin, only about 1.1 to 1.3 millimeters wide. Their shells are long and light brown.
If you look closely, you can see fine lines or "ribs" on their shells. There are usually 60 to 70 of these ribs on the second-to-last swirl of the shell. The opening of the shell, called the "aperture," has a unique shape. It looks a bit slanted and curved.
Scientists believe that the unique shape of the needle snail's shell opening shows how it has changed over a long time. It might be the final step in a process where snail shells became more slanted and stretched out. The needle snail has the longest "sinulus" (a small curve near the shell's opening) along its shell's seam.
