| Western glass-snail | |
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| Shells of Vitrina pellucida | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Stylommatophora |
| Family: | Vitrinidae |
| Subfamily: | Vitrininae |
| Genus: | Vitrina |
| Species: | V. pellucida |
| Binomial name | |
| Vitrina pellucida (O. F. Müller, 1774) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Vitrina pellucida is species of small land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Vitrinidae.
This species is a 'semi-slug' with a flattened, globular shell. The animal is pale grey with a darker head and tentacles. The body is large in comparison with the shell, and cannot completely retreat into the shell. The shell is subglobose, spherical but not a completely round ball, somewhat smooth, transparent, and greenish hyaline in colour. The shell has 3 whorls that enlarge rapidly and are somewhat convex. The body whorl is wide and a little flattened below. The suture or groove is wrinkled. The aperture is lunately rounded or shaped like a half-moon. The umbilicus is very small.
The width of the shell is 6 mm, the height is 3.5 mm.
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This species is known to occur in a number of countries and islands in Western and Central Europe, including:
This snail is eaten by hedgehogs.
This species eats liverworts (Jungermanniaceae) and decayed leaves. It will also eat dead earthworms and horse manure.
These snails live in moist and shady places, but are not usually observed until late in the autumn. These snails occur both in natural and modified habitats, such as in meadows and grasslands, in deciduous and coniferous forests, and in wasteground.
The eggs are deposited in small heaps, and have a membraneous covering.
Parasites of Vitrina pellucida include Elaphostrongylus spp.
This article incorporates public domain text from the reference
