Helicina orbiculata

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Helicina orbiculata
Scientific classification
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Species:
H. orbiculata
Binomial name
Helicina orbiculata
(Say, 1818)
Synonyms [1]

Helicina orbicula tropica Pfeiffer, 1852

Helicina orbiculata, also known as Helicina (Oligyra) orbiculata and as Oligyra orbiculata, is a species of land snail with an operculum, a terrestrial gastropod mollusk in the family Helicinidae. They are one of few land snail species to have eyes at the base of their tentacles. This may suggest Helicina Orbiculata individuals are separate male and female, as opposed to the more common hermaphroditic land snail.

Contents

Unlike most common terrestrial garstropods, they do not eat most fruits and vegetables. There is some anecdotal evidence that in captivity they may eat avocados, lettuce and/or zucchini/cucumber. In the wild these snails are often found near and on Ilex vomitoria trunks, which may indicate that they feed on either the sap or decaying leaves of Ilex vomitoria. Most current[01/2022] information about their diet, habitat and behavior is largely anecdotal and/or theoretical. It is also possible that Helicina orbiculata and Ilex vomitoria have some kind of symbiosis, being that Helicina orbiculata is susceptible to some parasitic molluscivorous flies; and, Ilex vomitoria is repellent to most pests and arthropods due to its pungent aromatic sap. Ilex vomitoria has an almost identical reported habitat range as Helicina orbiculata; though current counts of populations (of Helicina orbiculata) are likely inaccurate and/or outdated. When kept in captivity Helicina orbiculata are very susceptible to some kind of ailment that appears fungal in nature. Their bodies will look visibly green and deflated, their movement is markedly slower and less coordinated than healthy individuals, and there is a very foul rotten smell coming from deceased AND dying individuals. There are no known cases of Helicina orbiculata individuals surviving this ailment. There is some evidence that this illness may be due to the fact that these snails have more similar anatomical and genetic features to aquatic snails; as other snail species (e.g. hermaphroditic inoperculate snails of different shell shapes) kept in the same enclosure [with affected Helicina individuals] showed no abnormal signs or symptoms. The shells of adult Helicina orbiculata are very thick proportionate to their size especially when compared with larger gastropods. There is some evidence they may sleep in colonies.

Distribution

This species lives in northeastern Mexico, Texas, and Florida; especially the northern half of the Florida panhandle, and the central part of Texas, or the parts with a more tropical/subtropical climate. They will survive in areas that have occasional freezes, most likely by burrowing and resurfacing when the ground saturates in the spring. They are drought tolerant but less so than some more well known (although larger) terrestrial snail species. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 Strenth N. E. & Littleton T. G. (1 February 2000). "A revision of the land snail Helicina orbiculata (gastropoda: prosobranchia) from the southern United States.". The Texas Journal of Science . accessed 3 May 2010

Hailey Hills- amateur malacologist

Further reading