Helix albescens | |
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Scientific classification
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Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
Order: | Stylommatophora |
Family: | Helicidae |
Genus: | Helix |
Species: | H. albescens
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Binomial name | |
Helix albescens
Rossmässler, 1839
|
Helix albescens is a species of large air-breathing land snail from eastern Europe belonging to the family Helicidae.
Helix albescens is a relatively small Helix species with globular shell, which is whitish to cream-brown, usually with five reddish-brown bands of which especially the second and third may partly fuse. Umbilicus closed, apertural margins may be brown. Characteristic is a very large protoconch (the embryonal shell). [1] The animal is yellow, usually with a dark, brown back.
On the genital system, typical characters are a missing diverticulum of bursa copulatrix (gametolytic gland) and a very short flagellum. [2]
Helix albescens is distributed in southern Ukraine, southwestern Russia ( Ciscaucasia) and the Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan). [1] [3] The distribution of mitochondrial genetic lineages suggests that the species originates from Crimea. [4]
The species naturally occurs in shruby habitats (with Christ's thorn, blackthorn, hawthorn, etc.). [5]
As all stylommatophoran land snails, H. albescens is a hermaphrodite. It lays its eggs in small clutches in cavities dug 5-6 cm deep into a damp soil. Egg laying takes many hours, because laying one egg can takes as much as two hours. [5] Recorded clutch size ranges between 6 and 25 eggs, with an average of 18 eggs. [5] Oval eggs are large relative to the animal, with a maximum diameter of 6-11 mm. [5]
Helix albescens | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Scientific classification
![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Mollusca |
Class: | Gastropoda |
Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
Order: | Stylommatophora |
Family: | Helicidae |
Genus: | Helix |
Species: | H. albescens
|
Binomial name | |
Helix albescens
Rossmässler, 1839
|
Helix albescens is a species of large air-breathing land snail from eastern Europe belonging to the family Helicidae.
Helix albescens is a relatively small Helix species with globular shell, which is whitish to cream-brown, usually with five reddish-brown bands of which especially the second and third may partly fuse. Umbilicus closed, apertural margins may be brown. Characteristic is a very large protoconch (the embryonal shell). [1] The animal is yellow, usually with a dark, brown back.
On the genital system, typical characters are a missing diverticulum of bursa copulatrix (gametolytic gland) and a very short flagellum. [2]
Helix albescens is distributed in southern Ukraine, southwestern Russia ( Ciscaucasia) and the Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan). [1] [3] The distribution of mitochondrial genetic lineages suggests that the species originates from Crimea. [4]
The species naturally occurs in shruby habitats (with Christ's thorn, blackthorn, hawthorn, etc.). [5]
As all stylommatophoran land snails, H. albescens is a hermaphrodite. It lays its eggs in small clutches in cavities dug 5-6 cm deep into a damp soil. Egg laying takes many hours, because laying one egg can takes as much as two hours. [5] Recorded clutch size ranges between 6 and 25 eggs, with an average of 18 eggs. [5] Oval eggs are large relative to the animal, with a maximum diameter of 6-11 mm. [5]