Helix figulina

Helix figulina is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Helicidae, the typical snails.[1]

Helix figulina
Drawing of a Helix figulina shell by Rossmässler, 1839. Locatality is most likely Greece or Dalmatia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Mollusca
Class:
Gastropoda
(unranked):
clade Heterobranchia
clade Euthyneura
clade Panpulmonata
clade Eupulmonata
clade Stylommatophora
informal group Sigmurethra
Superfamily:
Helicoidea
Family:
Helicidae
Subfamily:
Helicinae
Tribe:
Helicini
Genus:
Helix
Species:
H. figulina
Binomial name
Helix figulina

Description

The shells of this species are dirty white to yellow-brownish in color, usually 21-27×20-26 mm in size. Large shells are about 29-31×29-30 mm.[4]

Shells of Helix figulina

Distribution

This species is present in Greece, Bulgaria and North Macedonia,[5] except, perhaps, the island of Skyros in the Aegean Sea, where only empty shells of the species have been found, suggesting a recent extinction in the area.[6] There have been reports of the species in western Turkey, however, it seems that these are actually Helix nucula, a related and similar species.

Habitat

This land snail is found in a variety of habitats including dry, open, shrub-land areas. It ranges from coastal areas (dunes) up to 700 m above sea level. On the continent, it lives only in areas where there is enough soil, as it is a soil-dwelling species, and sometimes buries deep into the soil. In southwest Bulgaria it lives at altitudes of up to 700 m.[1][4]

References
  1. Neubert, E. & Triantis, K. 2011. Helix figulina. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 11 July 2013.
  2. Fauna Europaea — Helix figulina
  3. European Environment Agency — Helix figulina
  4. AnimalBase :: Helix Figulina
  5. Fauna Europaea — European Distribution Map of Helix Figulina (Java required)
  6. IUCN Red List — Distribution Map of Helix figulina


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