Helix pomatia
| Roman snail | |
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| Helix pomatia | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura |
| Superfamily: | Helicoidea |
| Family: | Helicidae |
| Subfamily: | Helicinae |
| Tribe: | Helicini |
| Genus: | Helix |
| Binomial name | |
| Helix pomatia Linnaeus, 1758[1] |
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Helix pomatia, common names the Burgundy snail, Roman snail, edible snail or escargot, is a species of large, edible, air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Helicidae. It is a European species.
This species is frequently farmed, and is called by the French name escargot when it is used in cooking.
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[edit] Distribution
Distribution of Helix pomatia include:
south-eastern and central Europe:[2]
- Germany - Listed as a specially protected species in annex 1 of the Bundesartenschutzverordnung.
- Austria
- Czech Republic - least concern species (LC). Its conservation status in 2004-2006 is favourable (FV) in the report for the European commission in accordance with the Habitats Directive.[3]
- Poland
- Slovakia
- Hungary[2]
- In south-western Bulgaria up to an altitude of more than 1600 m.[2]
- north and central Balkans[2]
- Slovenia
- Republic Of Macedonia[2]
Western Europe:
- Great Britain: in the west and south of England[2] in southern areas on chalk soils. Its common name in the UK is "Roman snail" because it was introduced to the island by the Romans during the Roman period (AD 43-410). In England only (not the rest of the UK) the Roman snail is a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, making it illegal to kill, injure, collect or sell these snails.[4]
- central France[2]
- Belgium
- Netherlands [5]
- Switzerland
Northern Europe:
- Denmark - Listed as a protected species.[citation needed]
- south Sweden[2]
- Norway[2]
- Finland[2]
- In central and southern parts of Sweden, Norway and Finland, there are isolated and relatively small populations. It is not native to these countries, but is likely to have been imported by monks from Southern Europe during medieval times.
Eastern Europe:
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Estonia[2]
- western Belarus[2]
- western Ukraine (Uzhgorod)[2]
- Moldavia[2]
- Russia: introduced to Moscow,[2] Kursk[2]
- Ukraine: introduced to Kiev [2]
southern Europe:
[edit] Description
The shell is creamy white to light brownish, often with indistinct brown colour bands.[2] The shell has 5-6 whorls.[2] The aperture is large.[2] The apertural margin is white and slightly reflected in adult snails.[2] The umbilicus is narrow and partly covered by the reflected columellar margin.[2]
The width of the shell is 30–50 mm.[2] The height of the shell is 30–45 mm.[2]
[edit] Ecology
[edit] Habitat
In south-eastern Europe Helix pomatia lives in forests and open habitats, gardens, vineyards, especially along rivers, confined to calcareous substrate.[2] In central Europe in open forests and shrubland on calcareous substrate.[2] It prefers high humidity and lower temperatures, needs loose soil to burrow in order to hibernate and lay its eggs.[2] It lives up to 2100 m in the Alps, usually below 2000 m.[2] In south England it is restricted to undisturbed grassy or bushy wastelands, usually not in gardens, with a low reproduction rate and low powers of dispersal.[2]
[edit] Life cycle
Average distance of migration reaches 3.5–6 m.[2]
This snail is hermaphroditic. Reproduction in central Europe occurs from end of May onwards.[2]
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Eggs are laid in June and July, in clutches of 40-65 eggs.[2] The size of the egg is 5.5-6.5 mm[2] or 8.6 × 7.2 mm.[6] Juveniles hatch after 3–4 weeks, and may consume their siblings under unfavourable climate conditions.[2] Maturity is reached after 2–5 years.[2] The life span is up to 20 years.[2] 10 year-old individuals are probably not uncommon in natural populations.[2] The maximum lifespan is 35 years.[2]
During estivation or hibernation, this species creates a calcareous epiphragm in order to seal the opening of the shell.
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[edit] Conservation
This species is listed in IUCN red list as Least Concern.[7] Helix pomatia is threatened by continuous habitat destructions and drainage, usually less threatened by commercial collections.[2] There were many unsuccessful attempts to establish the species in various parts of England, Scotland and Ireland; it only survived in natural habitats in southern England, and is threatened by intensive farming and habitat destruction.[2] It is of lower concern in Switzerland and Austria, but in many regions there are restrictions on commercial collecting.[2]
[edit] In popular culture
In the 2005 film What Is It? several of these snails appear: some die by crushing, others by salting.
[edit] References
This article incorporates public domain text from the reference.[2]
- ^ Linnaeus C. (1758). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. pp. [1-4], 1-824. Holmiae. (Salvius).
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq "Species summary for Helix pomatia". AnimalBase, last modified 5 March 2009, accessed 6 September 2010.
- ^ (Czech) Dušek J., Hošek M. & Kolářová J. (2007). "Hodnotící zpráva o stavu z hlediska ochrany evropsky významných druhů a typů přírodních stanovišť v České republice za rok 2004-2006". Ochrana přírody 62(5): appendix 5:I-IV.
- ^ "Protection for wild animals on Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981".
- ^ "Helix pomatia". Stichting Anemoon, accessed 6 September 2010.
- ^ Heller J.: Life History Strategies. in Barker G. M. (ed.): The biology of terrestrial molluscs. CABI Publishing, Oxon, UK, 2001, ISBN 0-85199-318-4. 1-146, cited page: 428.
- ^ Neubert, E. "Helix pomatia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (ver. 2011.2). IUCNRedList.org. http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/156519/0. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
[edit] Further reading
- (Russian) Roumyantseva E. G. & Dedkov V. P. (2006). "Reproductive properties of the Roman snail Helix pomatia L. in the Kaliningrad Region, Russia". Ruthenica 15: 131-138. abstract
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Helix pomatia |
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