| Euchondrus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Euchondrus septemdentatus(Roth, 1839) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Subclass: | Heterobranchia |
| Superorder: | Eupulmonata |
| Order: | Stylommatophora |
| Family: | Enidae |
| Genus: | Euchondrus Boettger, 1883 [1] |
| Species | |
See text | |
Euchondrus is a genus of very small air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Enidae.
The snails in this genus are of levantine distribution, which includes Cyprus, Turkey, Syria, Israel and Jordan.
The gastropod shell of Euchondrus is 6.5–13 mm in height in Euchondrus parreyssi , that has very variable size in Euchondrus. [2] The shell is elongate with 5-7 whorls [2] and a high spire. The aperture is toothed.
This snail species lives in open habitats, under limestone rocks in the desert.
Three species of Euchondrus in the Negev desert are noted for eating lichens growing under the surface limestone rocks and slabs (endolithic lichens). [3] They disrupt and eat the limestone. [3] Their grazing resulting in the weathering of the stones, and the subsequent formation of soil. [3] They have a significant effect on the region: the total population of snails is estimated to process between 0.7 and 1.1 metric ton per hectare per year of limestone in the Negev desert. [3]
Species within the genus Euchondrus include:
A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name snail is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have a coiled shell that is large enough for the animal to retract completely into. When the word "snail" is used in this most general sense, it includes not just land snails but also numerous species of sea snails and freshwater snails. Gastropods that naturally lack a shell, or have only an internal shell, are mostly called slugs, and land snails that have only a very small shell are often called semi-slugs.
The gastropods, commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda.
Helix is a genus of large, air-breathing land snails native to Europe and the Mediterranean region. They are the type genus of the family Helicidae and among the first animal genera described by Carl Linnaeus. Members of the genus first appeared during the Oligocene. Like most land snails, Helix species are hermaphroditic, and like other helicids a courting pair will impale each other with hormone-rich love darts prior to exchanging sperm. Well-known species include Helix pomatia and Helix lucorum. Cornu aspersum – another well-known helicid – was originally described as a member of Helix, but the prevailing classification places it as the sole member of the sister genus Cornu.
Powelliphanta is a genus of large, air-breathing land snails, pulmonate gastropods in the family Rhytididae, found only in New Zealand. They are carnivorous, eating invertebrates, mostly native earthworms. Often restricted to very small areas of moist forest, they are prey to introduced mammalian predators, and many species are threatened or endangered.
Balea is a genus of small, very elongate, air-breathing land snails, sinistral terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Clausiliidae, the door snails.
Sitala is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Helicarionidae. Sitala is the type genus of the subfamily Sitalinae
Theba is a taxonomic genus of air-breathing land snails, medium-sized pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Helicidae, the true snails. Theba is the type genus of the tribe Thebini.
Truncatella is a genus of very small land snails with an operculum, terrestrial gastropod mollusks in the family Truncatellidae. These small and minute snails live on land, very close to seawater. They walk with a strange looping action, and the adults have truncated shells. Many of the species are small enough to be considered micromollusks.
Monacha is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Hygromiidae, the hairy snails and their allies.
Balea perversa, also known as the wall snail or tree snail, is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Clausiliidae, the door snails. The shell of this species is left-handed in coiling and it looks like a juvenile of a clausiliid.
Sphincterochila is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs in the family Sphincterochilidae.
Sphincterochila boissieri is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Sphincterochilidae. This species lives in deserts in Israel and Egypt.
Albinaria is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Clausiliidae, the door snails.
Chloritis is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Hadrinae of the family Camaenidae.
Xeropicta is a genus of small air-breathing land snails, pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Hygromiidae, the hairy snails and their allies.
Rhiostoma is a genus of operculate land snails in the family Cyclophoridae, native to parts of Asia. They are sometimes referred to as "snorkel snails" due to the tubular structure found on the final whorl of their shell, which resembles a snorkel.
Sphincterochila zonata is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Sphincterochilidae.