Semilimax pyrenaicus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Semilimax pyrenaicus |
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Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
| Clade: | Euthyneura |
| Order: | Panpulmonata |
| Clade: | Eupulmonata |
| Clade: | Stylommatophora |
| Family: | Vitrinidae |
| Genus: | Semilimax |
| Species: |
S. pyrenaicus
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| Binomial name | |
| Semilimax pyrenaicus (A. Férussac, 1821)
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| Synonyms | |
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Vitrina hibernica J. Taylor 1908 |
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Semilimax pyrenaicus is a type of air-breathing land snail. It is a mollusk, which is a group of soft-bodied animals. This snail belongs to the Vitrinidae family. It's a large snail, usually greyish-brown. What makes it special is that it can't pull its whole body inside its shell.
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About Semilimax pyrenaicus
What Does Semilimax pyrenaicus Look Like?
This snail is often called a "semi-slug." This is because its body is too big to fit completely inside its shell. The shell is very flat and looks a bit like an ear. If you look at the shell from above, its main part is about three-quarters of its total width.
The shell itself is very thin and easy to break. It's also see-through! Its color can be greenish or yellowish. The opening of the shell has a special membrane, like a thin skin.
The snail's body can be light grey, dark grey, or even black. Some lighter colored snails have big dark grey patches. It also has a very large "mantle lobe," which is a part of its body that covers some of the shell.
Where Does This Snail Live?
Semilimax pyrenaicus can be found in a few specific places. These include Brittany in France, the French Pyrenees mountains, Andorra, Spain, and southwestern Ireland. This type of scattered distribution is sometimes called a "Lusitanian distribution."
For a while, scientists thought this pattern meant these snails survived in areas that didn't freeze during the last ice age. These ice-free areas were called "refugia." However, this idea is now thought to be incorrect. Scientists believe Ireland was completely covered by ice during the last big ice age.
It's now more likely that these snails came back to Ireland after the ice age ended. They probably arrived by accident with humans who moved there a very long time ago. This would have been during the late Stone Age.
What Kind of Home Does It Like?
This snail prefers places that are humid and shady. You can often find it living between rocks. In Ireland, it likes to live in woodlands among moist leaves and other ground litter. It usually lives on soils that are not rich in lime. You won't often find it in areas where farm animals graze.
