Mollusc Key 5
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Throughout this key the following abbreviations are used for A Key to the British habitat types in which the molluscs occur: FRESH AND BRACKISH WATER RH River - hard water RS - River soft water GASTROPODS R - River hard or soft S - Stream L - Lake FRESHWATER BIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION P - Pond SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATION No. 13 C - Canal Edition 4 1977 G - Grazing level drain T - Temporary water by U – Ubiquitous T.T.Macan B - Brackish And below for the species status as of March 2007 Illustrated by Douglas Cooper W Widespread L Local Now out of print. R rare or Modified with name changes, R1 R2 R3 for Red Data Book species 1, 2 or 3 additional data on habitats and species status. One species, Physa heterostropha , This extra data is presented thus: deleted from the British list (hab: RH, S )(stat: R2 ) and one, Ferrissia clessiniana, added A. Chalkley Spring 2007 & Autumn 2008 Version 5, May 2009 Page 1 of 15 1 Snails with an operculum 2 ..... Snails without an operculum 15 2 Shell globose, with a very low spire; robust, resembling a marine rather than a freshwater species; aperture half-moon shaped; operculum calcified, with an internal rib; shell with variable markings, usually a pattern of purple, pink or white variegations on a yellow, brown, or black background; (gill feather-like, i.e. with laminae on both sides of RH, S W the axis) (hab: )(stat: ) Theodoxus fluviatilis (Linn.) The Nerite ..... Shell of other shape; aperture more or less round; pattern, if present, 3 not variegated 3 Shell over 30 mm high; usually banded; (operculum with concentric 4 rings; gill comb-like, not protrusible) VIVIPARUS ..... Shell less than 15 mm high; seldom banded 5 4 Shell glossy; umbilicus rather large and conspicuous; whorls rather tumid and high-shouldered; suture deep; apex pointed (hab: RH, C ) (stat: L ) Viviparus contectus (Mull.) Lister’s River Snail ..... Shell not glossy; umbilicus scarcely apparent; whorls neither tumid nor high-shouldered; suture shallow; apex without a conspicuous point (hab: RH, C )(stat: W ) Viviparus viviparus (Linn.) The River Snail 5(3) Shell, if higher than broad, only just so; gills protrusible, left gill 6 feather-like, right gill thread-like; (operculum with a spiral line) VALVATA ..... Shell distinctly higher than broad; gill not protrusible, and comb-like, 8 i.e. with laminae on one side only of the axis 6 Shell flat and disc-like, resembling a small Planorbis; (shell glossy; curvature of whorls slightly flattened above and a, Theodoxus fluviatilis b, Viviparus contectus below) c, Viviparus viviparous d, Valvata cristata (hab: R, L , S, P, C, G )(stat: W ) Valvata cristata (Mull.) Flat Valve Snail ..... Shell not flat and disc-like 7 Page 2 of 15 7 Shell larger, breadth 5 - 7 mm; height and breadth about equal; not glossy; umbilicus deep but not wide (hab: RH, L, S, P, C, G ) (stat: W ) Valvata piscinalis (Mull.) Valve Snail ..... Shell smaller, breadth 3.5—4 mm; about twice as broad as high; glossy; umbilicus wide and deep (hab: G )(stat: R2 ) Valvata macrostoma Steenbuch 8(5) Operculum rather calcified, with concentric lines, and not 9 retractible beyond the aperture of the shell; at least 6 mm high and 4 mm broad; fresh water BITHYNIA ..... Operculum horny, with a spiral line, and retractible within the 10 shell beyond the aperture; dimensions less except occasionally in the brackish-water species Sabanaea ulvae; most in brackish water 9 Larger species, height 9.5—15 mm, breadth 6—8.5 mm; whorls 5—6, not tumid or high-shouldered; suture shallow; umbilicus almost completely closed (hab: RH, L , S, P, C, G ) ( stat: W ) Bithynia tentaculata (Linn.) ..... Smaller species, height 6-6.5 mm, breadth 4—4.5 mm; 4—5 tumid high-shouldered whorls separated by a deep suture; umbilicus open (hab: RH, L , S, P, C, G ) ( stat: L ) Bithynia leachii (Sheppard) 10 Eyes borne at the end of tentacles; gill rudimentary, respiration (8) by means of lung; shell conical, rather broad in proportion to height, sides straight in outline, the curvature of the whorls being flattened and the suture shallow; (whorls 6.5—7; umbilicus closed or nearly so; aperture pointed at the top) (hab: B )(stat: L ) Assiminea grayana Fleming a, Bithynia tentaculata b, Bithynia leachi c, Valvata piscinalis ..... Eyes borne on tubercles at the base of the tentacles; gill present 11 d, Marstoniopsis insubrica e, Assiminea grayana f, Valvata macrostoma (but not protrusible); shell of other shape Page 3 of 15 11 Relatively shorter and broader; (umbilicus open) AMNICOLA 12 ..... Relatively taller and narrower SABANAEA and HYDROBIA 13 12 Larger, height 4 mm; apex pointed; brackish water; (5—6 rather tumid whorls separated by a deep suture; aperture nearly half as high as the shell) (hab: B )(stat: R1 ) Mercuria anatina Swollen Spire Shell former name Pseudamnicola confusa (Frau.) ..... Smaller, height 2.5—3 mm; apex blunt; fresh water; (4 high- shouldered whorls separated by a deep suture); (see Page 3) (hab: RH, C )(stat: R3 ) Marstoniopsis insubrica (Schmidt) former name Marstoniopsis scholtzi 13 Curvature of whorls slight, suture shallow; aperture pointed at (11) the top; (umbilicus very narrow; body dull white to nearly black; tentacles dull white or yellowish with a black spot or bar near the tip) (hab: B )(stat: W ) Peringia ulvae (Pennant) Layer Spire Shell former name Hydrobia ulvae (Pennant) ..... Curvature of whorls more pronounced, suture deep; aperture rounded at the top 14 14 Whorls 5.5 shell somewhat thick-set, the last whorl large; umbilicus closed; body pale grey; tentacles slightly tapering and uniformly pale; some specimens with a keel in the middle of the whorls, and this may be produced into spines. (hab: U )(stat: W ) Potamopyrgus antipodarum (Smith) Jenkins’ Spire Shell former name Potamopyrgus jenkinsi a, Potamopyrgus antipodarum b, Mercuria anatina ..... Whorls 6—7; shell slender, last whorl proportionately not so c, Potamopyrgus antipodarum with keel d, Peringia ulvae large (except in var. ovala); umbilicus open though it may be e, Ventrosia ventrosa narrow; body dark grey to black; tentacles not tapering and marked with black and grey rings; never with a keel in the middle of the whorls (hab: B )(stat: L ) Ventrosia ventrosa (Mont.) former name Hydrobia ventrosa Page 4 of 15 15 Shell limpet-like, with no obvious trace of helical winding 16 (1) ANCYLUS and ANCYLASTRUM ..... Shell helically wound, or coiled 17 16 Shell taller; length less than twice breadth; the apex almost median; anal and genital openings on the left side (hab: R, L , S )(stat: W ) Ancylus fluviatilis (Mull.) River Limpet .) ..... Shell depressed; length twice breadth or more; the apex inclined 16A to the left or right; anal and genital openings on the right side. 16A Slightly larger species. If you look at the apex with the spire nearest you the apex/spire is twisted to your left, more angular. (hab: L , P, C, G )(stat: W ) Acroloxus lacustris (Linn.) Lake Limpet ..... Slightly smaller species. If you look at the apex with the spire nearest you the apex/spire is twisted to your right, slightly more rounded. Habitats as Acroloxus i.e. lentic (still waters). Often found in garden ponds. (hab: L , P, C, G )(stat: ? ) Ferrissia clessiniana (Mirolli) Introduced American Lake Limpet former name Ferrissia wautieri 17 Shell not coiled in one plane; spire usually projecting above the 18 (15) last whorl a: Acroloxus lacustris b: Ancylus fluviatilis c: Ferrissia clessiniana ..... Shell flat, much broader than high, coiled nearly in one plane; 31 spire not or scarcely projecting above the last whorl, often sunk below it PLANORBIS and SEGMENTINA Page 5 of 15 18 Aperture with internal teeth or folds (see Page 15) 44 ..... Aperture simple 19 19 Eyes at the tip of the second pair of tentacles 20 ..... Eyes on slight protuberances at the base of the single pair of 21 tentacles 20 Shell broader than high; flattened though not to the same extent as Planorbis (Pages 11—14); in outline the upper surface slopes gently to an obtuse point, and the aperture is below the body whorl ZONITOIDES ..... Shell higher than broad; whorls rapidly enlarging; superficially c: Zonitoides nitidus d: Succinea putris like a Lymnaea (Pages. 8—10), but with a characteristic pear- shaped aperture pointed at the top SUCCINEA The snails of the genera Zonitoides and Succinea are not truly aquatic. One of the two species of Zonitoides (Z. nitidus (Mull.)) lives at the base of plants in marshy places and is sometimes found submerged. Two or three of the five species of Succinea may be swept into the pond net from the aerial part of emergent aquatic plants. 21 Shell sinistral, i.e. if it be held so that the observer is looking 22 (19) into the aperture with the spire upwards, the aperture is towards the observer’s left; tentacles thin and awl-shaped; (shell thin; umbilicus absent) PHYSA and APLECTA ..... Shell dextral (though in some species occasional sinistral 25 examples are encountered); tentacles broad and triangular LYMNAEA and MYXAS Page 6 of 15 22 Shell elongate and pointed, the height of the aperture only a little greater than half the total height of the shell; no finger- like processes from the body; (shell thin and shiny) (hab: P, G, T )(stat: L ) Aplexa hypnorum (Linn.) Moss Bladder Snail former name Physa hypnorum ..... Shell more globose, the height of the aperture well over half the 23 total height of the shell; finger-like processes from the body partly covering the shell when the animal is extended 23 Smaller species, height about 12 mm, breadth 6 – 7.5 mm; shell ovate and fragile; spire short and apex rounded; (shell shiny; second part of the penis sheath twice as long as the first) (hab: U )(stat: W ) Physa fontinalis (Linn.) Fountain Bladder Snail ....