List of non-marine molluscs of Great Britain explained
This list comprises 239 species of non-marine molluscs that have been recorded in the scientific literature as part of the fauna of the island of Great Britain; this total excludes species found only in hothouses and aquaria. The list includes terrestrial and aquatic gastropods, and aquatic bivalves. Molluscs that are fully marine (adapted to live in the sea) are not included here, except for two marine pulmonate snails. In other words, this list includes land snails and slugs, and freshwater and brackish water snails. It also includes freshwater mussels and clams, including some that can tolerate brackish water.
Great Britain is a European island in the northeastern Atlantic, comprising the contiguous countries of England, Scotland and Wales. (Great Britain is not the same entity as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; for more information on the complex nomenclature of this area, please see terminology of the British Isles.) The mollusc fauna of the island of Ireland, which includes both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, is listed in another article: List of non-marine molluscs of Ireland.
A number of species of snails listed here are sometimes also found on lists of marine species. Two listed here, in the genera Onchidella and Otina, are fully marine in habitat, but are pulmonate gastropods that breathe air at low tide rather than having gills like most marine species. Other species listed here live in habitats that are intermediate between land and saltwater, or in brackish water habitats intermediate between freshwater and full-salinity saltwater.
Additional species are still being added to the list of the non-marine malacofauna of Great Britain. Four of the more recent discoveries are: Papillifera papillaris, first recorded in 1993 but probably the result of introductions with Italian statuary a century or more earlier; Selenochlamys ysbryda, a species new to science, which was first found in 2004;[1] [2] Candidula olisippensis, discovered on a Cornish cliff in 2011; and Monacha ocellata, found near Tilbury docks in 2017. Other species have been added to the list as a result of taxonomic revisions; for instance, only in 2009 was it recognised that snails previously known as Pupilla muscorum constituted two sibling species occupying different habitats, with both Pupilla muscorum sensu stricto and Pupilla alpicola occurring in Britain.[3] A major revision of the slug fauna published in 2014, partly based on genetic sequencing, established that there were 20% more species than had previously been recognised.[4] [5] Not all these species have been definitely identified and some are formally undescribed.
In addition to the species that survive outdoors in Great Britain, there are also another 15 exotic gastropod species (some terrestrial and some aquatic) which live as "uninvited guests" in greenhouses and their enclosed aquaria.[6] These species are known as "hothouse aliens", and are listed separately at the end of the main list. In this list these species are not counted as part of the fauna. Also not included are species such as Eobania vermiculata[7] and Milax nigricans[6] that have been found outdoors on single occasions but seem never to have established persisting populations.
The following table shows a summary of species numbers.
| Non-marine molluscs of Great Britain | | |
---|
Gastropods land | 152 |
Gastropods aquatic | 55 (including 2 marine pulmonates) |
Gastropods total: | 207 |
Bivalves freshwater | 32 |
Mollusc total: | 239 |
Gastropods introduced (in natural habitats): | c. 31 (+16?) land + c. 8 aquatic |
Bivalves introduced (in natural habitats): | 4 |
Molluscs introduced in natural habitats, total: updated | 43–59 |
Gastropods living as "hothouse aliens" | 15 (11 terrestrial + 4 freshwater) (not included in numbers for total fauna) |
Bivalves living as "hothouse aliens" | 0 |
|
Conservation
Those species that are recognized as endangered are shown with an E after their name, see List of endangered species in the British Isles.
Some species are protected in the United Kingdom under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981:[8]
Two of the land snails on the list (Fruticicola fruticum and Cernuella neglecta) are now locally extinct (in Great Britain, sometimes abbreviated here as G.B.), but they still occur in other parts of Europe.
Systematic list
The list is arranged by presumed biological affinity, rather than being alphabetical by family.
A number of species are listed with subspecies, in cases where there are well-recognized subspecies in different parts of Europe. For some species a synonym is given, where the species may perhaps be better known under another name.
An attempt has been made to label the families as aquatic, terrestrial or intermediate, and an indication is given where it is thought that the species is introduced. Some introductions to Great Britain are quite ancient, dating from Roman times or even earlier. Those species that do not have a shell usually do not leave an archeological or fossil record, and therefore it is not always possible to determine whether they are native or introduced. Species are considered to be native, unless otherwise indicated on the list; this information is taken from Kerney (1999)[9] updated in the case of slugs with the opinions of Rowson et al. (2014).[5] The status and taxonomy of freshwater gastropods has been updated according to Rowson et al. (2021).[10]
Note: the images used to illustrate the list are mostly of specimens that were found in other countries.
Gastropoda
- Neritidae – aquatic (this species tolerates brackish water)
- Aciculidae – terrestrial
- Viviparidae – aquatic
- Assimineidae – terrestrial (intermediate marine)
- Amnicolidae – aquatic
- Marstoniopsis insubrica (Küster, 1853) – synonym: Bithynella scholtzi (A. Schmidt, 1856) – perhaps introduced, perhaps extinct
- Truncatellidae – terrestrial (intermediate marine)
- Bithyniidae – aquatic
- Cochliopidae – aquatic
- Potamopyrgidae – aquatic
- Hydrobiidae – aquatic (some are arguably marine)
- Valvatidae – aquatic
- Pomatiidae – terrestrial
The following gastropods are pulmonates:
- Ellobiidae – terrestrial
- Onchidiidae – aquatic (marine but an intertidal pulmonate)
- Otinidae – aquatic (marine but an intertidal pulmonate)
- Lymnaeidae – aquatic
- Ampullaceana balthica (Linnaeus, 1758) – synonyms: Radix balthica, Radix peregra auct. non (O.F. Müller, 1774)
- Galba truncatula (O.F. Müller, 1774)
- Ladislavella catascopium (Say, 1817) – introduced, believed extinct
- Lymnaea stagnalis (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Myxas glutinosa (O.F. Müller, 1774) E
- Omphiscola glabra (O.F. Müller, 1774)
- Radix auricularia (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Stagnicola fuscus (C. Pfeiffer, 1821) – synonym: Lymnaea fusca
- Stagnicola palustris (O.F. Müller, 1774) – synonym: Lymnaea palustris
- Physidae – aquatic
- Planorbidae – aquatic
- Ancylus fluviatilis (O.F. Müller, 1774)
- Anisus leucostoma (Millet, 1813)
- Anisus spirorbis (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Anisus vortex (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Anisus vorticulus (Troschel, 1834) E
- Bathyomphalus contortus (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Ferrissia californica (Rowell, 1863) – synonyms: F. wautieri (Mirolli, 1960), F. fragilis (Tryon, 1863) – introduced
- Gyraulus acronicus (A. Férussac, 1807)
- Gyraulus albus (O.F. Müller, 1774)
- Gyraulus crista (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Gyraulus laevis (Alder, 1838)
- Hippeutis complanatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Menetus dilatatus (Gould, 1841) – introduced
- Planorbarius corneus corneus (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Planorbis carinatus O.F. Müller, 1774
- Planorbis planorbis (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Segmentina nitida (O.F. Müller, 1774) E
- Acroloxidae – aquatic
- Succineidae – terrestrial (some almost amphibious)
- Cochlicopidae – terrestrial
- Pyramidulidae – terrestrial
- Vertiginidae – terrestrial
- Columella edentula (Draparnaud, 1805)
- Columella aspera Walden, 1966
- Truncatellina cylindrica (Férussac, 1807)
- Truncatellina callicratis (Scacchi, 1833) – probably native
- Vertigo pusilla O.F. Müller, 1774
- Vertigo alpestris Alder, 1838
- Vertigo antivertigo (Draparnaud, 1801)
- Vertigo genesii (Gredler, 1856)
- Vertigo geyeri Lindholm, 1925
- Vertigo lilljeborgi (Westerlund, 1871)
- Vertigo modesta arctica (Say, 1824)
- Vertigo moulinsiana (Dupuy, 1849)
- Vertigo pusilla O.F. Müller, 1774
- Vertigo pygmaea (Draparnaud, 1801)
- Vertigo substriata (Jeffreys, 1833)
- Vertigo angustior Jeffreys, 1830
- Chondrinidae – terrestrial
- Pupillidae – terrestrial
- Lauriidae – terrestrial
- Valloniidae – terrestrial
- Enidae – terrestrial
- Punctidae – terrestrial
- Helicodiscidae – terrestrial
- Discidae – terrestrial
- Arionidae – terrestrial
- Arion ater (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Arion rufus (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Arion flagellus Collinge, 1893 – introduced?
- Arion vulgaris Moquin-Tandon, 1855 – synonym: Arion lusitanicus auct. non Mabille, 1868 – introduced
- Arion sp. "Davies"[4] [5] – introduced?
- Arion subfuscus Draparnaud, 1805
- Arion fuscus O.F. Müller, 1774 – introduced?
- Arion cf. iratii Garrido, Castillejo & Iglesias, 1995[4] [5] – introduced?
- Arion circumscriptus Johnston, 1828
- Arion silvaticus Lohmander, 1937
- Arion fasciatus (Nilsson, 1823) – introduced?
- Arion hortensis A. Férussac, 1819
- Arion distinctus J. Mabille, 1868
- Arion owenii Davies, 1979
- Arion cf. fagophilus de Winter, 1986[4] [5] – introduced?
- Arion intermedius (Normand, 1852)
- Pristilomatidae – terrestrial
- Euconulidae – terrestrial
- Gastrodontidae – terrestrial
- Oxychilidae – terrestrial
- Milacidae – terrestrial
- Vitrinidae – terrestrial
- Boettgerillidae – terrestrial
- Trigonochlamydidae – terrestrial
- Limacidae – terrestrial
- Limax maximus Linnaeus, 1758
- Limax cinereoniger Wolf, 1803
- Limax cf. dacampi Menegazzi, 1854[4] [5] – introduced
- Limacus flavus (Linnaeus, 1758) – introduced?
- Limacus maculatus (Kaleniczenko, 1851) – synonym: Limax ecarinatus Boettger, 1881[15] – introduced
- Malacolimax tenellus (O.F. Müller, 1774)
- Lehmannia marginata (O.F. Müller, 1774)
- Ambigolimax parvipenis Hutchinson, Reise & Schlitt, 2022[16] [17] – introduced
- Ambigolimax valentianus (A. Férussac, 1822) – introduced
- Agriolimacidae – terrestrial
- Ferussaciidae – terrestrial
- Clausiliidae – terrestrial
- Testacellidae – terrestrial
- Helicodontidae – terrestrial
- Cochlicellidae – terrestrial
- Hygromiidae – terrestrial
- Ashfordia granulata (Alder, 1830) – synonym: Monacha granulata
- Candidula gigaxii (L. Pfeiffer, 1850) – introduced?
- Candidula intersecta (Poiret, 1801) – probably introduced
- Candidula olisippensis (Servain, 1880) – introduced[21]
- Cernuella aginnica (Locard, 1894) – introduced
- Cernuella neglecta (Draparnaud, 1805) – introduced, now extinct in G.B.
- Cernuella virgata (Da Costa, 1778) – probably introduced
- Helicella itala itala (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Hygromia cinctella (Draparnaud, 1801) – introduced
- Hygromia limbata limbata (Draparnaud, 1805) – introduced
- Monacha cantiana (Montagu, 1803) – introduced
- Monacha cartusiana (O.F. Müller, 1774) – introduced?
- Monacha ocellata (Roth, 1839) – introduced[22]
- Ponentina subvirescens (Bellamy, 1839) – probably native
- Pseudotrichia rubiginosa (Rossmässler, 1838) – probably native
- Trochoidea elegans (Gmelin, 1791) – introduced
- Trochulus hispidus (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Trochulus sericeus (Draparnaud, 1801)
- Trochulus striolatus (Pfeiffer, 1828)
- Zenobiella subrufescens (Miller, 1822)
- Bradybaenidae – terrestrial
- Helicidae – terrestrial
Bivalvia
- Margaritiferidae – aquatic
- Unionidae – aquatic
- Sphaeriidae – aquatic
- Sphaerium corneum (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Sphaerium rivicola (Lamarck, 1818)
- Sphaerium nucleus (Studer, 1820)
- Sphaerium solidum (Normand, 1844)
- Musculium lacustre (O.F. Müller, 1774)
- Musculium transversum (Say, 1829)
- Pisidium amnicum (O.F. Müller, 1774)
- Pisidium casertanum (Poli, 1791)
- Pisidium conventus (Clessin, 1877)
- Pisidium henslowanum (Sheppard, 1823)
- Pisidium hibernicum Westerlund, 1894
- Pisidium lilljeborgii (Clessin, 1886)
- Pisidium milium Held, 1836
- Pisidium moitessierianum Paladilhe, 1866
- Pisidium nitidum Jenyns, 1832
- Pisidium obtusale (Lamarck, 1818)
- Dreissenidae – aquatic
- Corbiculidae – aquatic
List of "hothouse alien" species
This group of exotic land and freshwater species are not truly part of the fauna because they do not live in the wild. Many are tropical and thus are incapable of surviving in the wild in Great Britain; instead they have established themselves as uninvited inhabitants of greenhouses, aquaria within greenhouses, and similar artificially-heated habitats.
- Thiaridae – aquatic
- Gastrodontidae – terrestrial
- Lymnaeidae – aquatic
- Planorbidae – aquatic
- Pleurodiscidae – terrestrial
- Pristilomatidae – terrestrial
- Helicodiscidae – terrestrial
- Streptaxidae – terrestrial
- Subulinidae – terrestrial
- Limacidae – terrestrial
See also
External links
Notes and References
- Rowson . B. . Symondson . W.O.C. . Selenochlamys ysbryda sp. nov. from Wales, UK: a Testacella-like slug new to Western Europe (Stylommatophora: Trigonochlamydidae) . Journal of Conchology . 39 . 537–552.
- Reise . H. . Hutchinson . J.M.C. . An earlier record of the slug Selenochlamys ysbryda from Brecon, UK. . Journal of Conchology . 2009 . 40 . 103.
- Proschwitz . T. von . Schander . C. . Jueg . U. . Thorkildsen . S. . Morphology, ecology and DNA-barcoding distinguish Pupilla pratensis (Clessin, 1871) from Pupilla muscorum (Linnaeus, 1758) (Pulmonata: Pupillidae) . Journal of Molluscan Studies . 2009 . 75 . 4 . 315–322 . 10.1093/mollus/eyp038. free .
- Rowson . B. . Anderson . R. . Turner . J.A. . Symondson . W.O.C. . 2014. The slugs of Britain and Ireland: undetected and undescribed species increase a well-studied, economically important fauna by more than 20% . PLOS ONE . 9 . 4 . e91907 . 10.1371/journal.pone.0091907 . 24740519 . 3989179 . 2014PLoSO...991907R. free.
- Book: Rowson . B. . Turner . J. . Anderson . R. . Symondson . W. . 2014. Slugs of Britain and Ireland: identification, understanding and control. Field Studies Council. Telford. 978-1-908819-13-0.
- Journal of Conchology . 607–637 . An annotated list of the non-marine molluscs of Britain and Ireland . Anderson . R. . 38 . 6 . 2005 . 1753-2205 .
- Notton . D. . Eobania vermiculata in the UK . Mollusc World . 2006 . 11 . 6.
- http://www.naturenet.net/law/sched5.html Protection for wild animals on Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981
- Kerney, Michael, 1999, Atlas of the land and freshwater molluscs of Britain and Ireland, Harley Books, Colchester, England,
- Book: Rowson . B. . Powell . H. . Willing . M. . Dobson . M. . Shaw . H. . Freshwater snails of Britain and Ireland . 2021 . Field Studies Council . Telford . 9781908819581 . First.
- Razkin . O. . Gómez-Moliner . B. . Vardinoyannis . K. . Martínez-Ortí . A. . Madeira . M.J. . Species delimitation for cryptic species complexes: case study of Pyramidula (Gastropoda, Pulmonata) . Zoologica Scripta . 2016 . 46 . 1 . 55–72 . 10.1111/zsc.12192. 88990282 .
- Killeen I. J. (2013). "Whorl snails (Vertigo spp.) surveillance in Scotland: a condition assessment of Geyer’s whorl snail Vertigo geyeri, and the round-mouthed whorl snail Vertigo genesii in Perthshire and the Black Isle". Scottish Natural Heritage Commissioned Report No. 616. PDF.
- Web site: MolluscaBase Eds. Pupilla pratensis (Clessin, 1871) . MolluscaBase . Flanders Marine Institute . 29 January 2023.
- Owen . C . Rowson . B. . Wilkinson . K. . First record of the predatory semi-slug Daudebardia rufa (Draparnaud, 1805) from the UK (Eupulmonata: Daudebardiidae) . Journal of Conchology . 2016 . 42 . 3 . 119–121.
- Web site: Welter-Schultes. F.. Species summary for Limax ecarinatus. 2013. AnimalBase. 24 February 2018.
- Hutchinson . J.M.C. . Reise . H. . Schlitt . B. . Will the real Limax nyctelius please step forward: Lehmannia, Ambigolimax, or Malacolimax? No, Letourneuxia! . Archiv für Molluskenkunde . 7 July 2022 . 151 . 1 . 19–41 . 10.1127/arch.moll/151/019-041. 250188836 .
- Web site: Ambigolimax parvipenis Hutchinson, Reise & Schlitt, 2022 . Molluscabase . Flanders Marine Institute . 16 July 2022.
- ICZN . Opinion 2355 (Case 3581): Turbo bidens Linnaeus, 1758 (Gastropoda, Clausilidae): request to set aside the neotype not granted . Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature . 2015 . 72 . 2 . 159–161 . 10.21805/bzn.v72i2.a8. 85669262 .
- Ridout-Sharpe . J. . Papillifera papillaris (Gastropoda: Clausiliidae): a new record for Britain . The Archeo+Malacology Group Newsletter . 2005 . 7 . 6–7.
- Ridout-Sharpe . J. . Papillifera papillaris: a second colony is discovered in England . The Archaeo+Malacology Group Newsletter . 2010 . 18 . 4–6 .
- Holyoak . D.T. . Holyoak . G.A. . A review of the genus Candidula in Portugal with notes on other populations in Western Europe (Gastropoda, Pulmonata: Hygromiidae) . Journal of Conchology . 2014 . 41 . 6 . 629–672 .
- Anderson . R. . Giusti . F. . Telfer . M. . Manganelli . G. . Pieńkowska . J.R. . Lesicki . A. . Monacha ocellata (Roth, 1839) (Gastropoda: Hygromiidae) established in Essex, an addition to the fauna of Britain and Ireland . Journal of Conchology . 2018 . 43 . 201–211 .
- Palmer . P. . Helix lucorum in Wimbledon, S.W. London . Mollusc World . 2010 . 23 . 12.
- Aldridge . D. . Ho . S. . Froufe . E . The Ponto-Caspian quagga mussel, Dreissena rostriformis bugensis (Andrusov, 1897), invades Great Britain . Aquatic Invasions . November 2014 . 9 . 4 . 529–535 . 10.3391/ai.2014.9.4.11. free .
- Web site: Ambigolimax waterstoni Hutchinson, Reise & Schlitt, 2022 . Molluscabase . Flanders Marine Institute . 16 July 2022.