The British Isles: Great Britain and Ireland In Britain, the species suffered slightly from intensive farming and the continuous destruction of suitable uncultivated refuge space. It is rare in Ireland.
Kaliningrad
Finland. In Finland, it has become so common in the Porvoo region east of Helsinki, that it is locally called the "Porvoo snail".
This species has not yet become established in the US, but it is considered to represent a potentially serious threat as an invasive species that could negatively affect agriculture, natural ecosystems, human health or commerce. Therefore, it has been suggested that this species be given top national quarantine significance in the USA.
Description
apertural view of the shell of Arianta arbustorum (top left); lateral view (top right); apical view (bottom left) and umbilical view (bottom right)
The shell is usually brown with numerous rows of pale yellowish spots and with a brown band above the periphery, occasionally yellowish, reddish or greenish in hue, weakly striated and with fine spiral lines on the upper side. The shell has 5–5.5 convex whorls with a deep suture. The last whorl slightly descends near the aperture. The aperture has a prominent white lip inside. The apertural margin is reflected. Umbilicus is entirely covered by the reflected columellar margin.
The width of the shell is 18–25mm. The height of the shell is 12–22mm. Dimensions are locally variable.
The shell shape is globular in most present-day populations, but it is believed to have been depressed during the Pleistocene. Before lowlands were colonized and the shells became globular, the species re-invaded mountain regions, except for a few isolated spots among glaciers.
The animal is usually black in color.
Life cycle
Arianta arbustorum lives in forests and open habitats of any kind. It requires humidity. It also lives in disturbed habitats (except in Ireland, where it is restricted to old native woodland). It may locally tolerate non-calcareous substrate, in north Scotland also on sandhills. It is found at elevations up to 2,700 m in the Alps, 1,200 m in Britain, and 1,500 m in Bulgaria.
It feeds on green herbs, dead animals and faeces.
If snails hatch more than 50 m apart, they are considered isolated, as they rarely move more than 25 m (neighbourhood area 32–50 m); usually, they move about 7–12 m in a year, mostly along water currents.
This species of snail makes and uses calcareous love darts during mating. Reproduction is usually after copulation, but self-fertilization is also possible. The size of the egg is 3.2mm. Maturity is reached after 2–4 years. The maximum age is up to 14 years.
Metaldehyde and iron phosphate can be used to exterminate snails. Since copper generates electric shocks that make it difficult for snails to move, it can serve as a barrier.
References
This article incorporates public domain text from the reference:
↑Linnaeus C. (1758). Systema naturae per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. pp. [1-4], 1-824. Holmiae. (Salvius).
↑McAlpine, D.F., & R.G. Forsyth. 2014. Occurrence of the Copse Snail, Arianta arbustorum (Helicidae) on Prince Edward Island: an addition to the North American range of a purported potential pest. Northeastern Naturalist21(1):N5–N7.
↑Cowie R. H., Dillon R. T., Robinson D. G. & Smith J. W. (2009). "Alien non-marine snails and slugs of priority quarantine importance in the United States: A preliminary risk assessment". American Malacological Bulletin27: 113-132. PDFArchived 16 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine.
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. [Summer or later]. Hamburg / Berlin (Paul Parey).
Bank, R. A.; Neubert, E. (2017). Checklist of the land and freshwater Gastropoda of Europe. Last update: July 16, 2017
Sysoev, A. V. & Schileyko, A. A. (2009). Land snails and slugs of Russia and adjacent countries. Sofia/Moskva (Pensoft). 312 pp., 142 plates.
Baur, Anette; Baur, Bruno (2005) Interpopulation variation in the prevalence and intensity of parasitic mite infection in the land snail Arianta arbustorum; Invertebrate Biology, Vol. 124 Issue 3, p194-201. 8p. 3 Charts. DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7410.2005.00019.x.
Baur, Bruno & Locher Rolf (1998) Sperm allocation in the simultaneously hermaphroditic land snail Arianta arbustorum. Animal Behaviour. Oct98, Vol. 56 Issue 4, p839. 7p.
Baur, Bruno (1986) Patterns of dispersion, density and dispersal in alpine populations of the land snail Arianta arbustorum (L.) (Helicidae). Holarctic Ecology. Mai 1986, Vol. 9 Issue 2, p117-125. 9p
Haase Martin, Esch Susanne & Misof Bernhard (2013) Local adaptation, refugial isolation and secondary contact of Alpine populations of the land snail Arianta arbustorum. Journal of Molluscan Studies. Aout 2013, Vol. 79 Issue 3, p241-248. 8p.
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Kleeweint Doris (1999), Population size, density, spatial distribution and dispersal in an Austrian population of the land snail Arianta arbustorum styriaca (Gastropoda: Helicidae); Journal of Molluscan Studies. Aout 1999, Vol. 65 Issue 3, p303-315. 13p. 3
Haase M & Misof B (2009), Dynamic gastropods: stable shell polymorphism despite gene flow in the land snail Arianta arbustorum. Dynamische Schnecken: stabiler Schalenpolymorphismus trotz Genflusses in der Landschnecke Arianta arbustorum. Journal of Zoological Systematics & Evolutionary Research. Mai 2009, Vol. 47 Issue 2, p105-114. 10p. DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0469.2008.00488.x
Minoretti, Nicole; Stoll, Peter; Baur, Bruno (2013) Heritability of sperm length and adult shell size in the land snail Arianta arbustorum (Linnaeus, 1758) Journal of Molluscan Studies. Aout 2013, Vol. 79 Issue 3, p218-224. 7p.
Schüpbach, Hans U.; Baur, Bruno (2008), Parasitic mites influence fitness components of their host, the land snail Arianta arbustorum.. Invertebrate Biology, Vol. 127 Issue 3, p350-356. 7p. 1 Chart, 2 Graphs. DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7410.2008.00138.x.
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