Helicodonta
Encyclopedia
Helicodonta obvoluta, common name
the "cheese snail", is a species
of air-breathing land snail
, a terrestrial
pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Hygromiidae
, the hairy snails and their allies.
The common name is based on the shape of the shell, which is reminiscent of a wheel of cheese
.
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
the "cheese snail", is a species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of air-breathing land snail
Snail
Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
, a terrestrial
Terrestrial animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...
pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Hygromiidae
Hygromiidae
Hygromiidae is a taxonomic family of small to medium-sized air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicoidea.-Anatomy:...
, the hairy snails and their allies.
The common name is based on the shape of the shell, which is reminiscent of a wheel of cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
.
Species
Species within the genus Helicodonta include:- Helicodonta albanica Wagner, 1914
- Helicodonta angigyra (Rossmässler, 1834)
- Helicodonta langhofferi Wagner, 1912
- Helicodonta obvolutaHelicodonta obvolutaHelicodonta obvoluta is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Helicodontidae.The distribution of this species is spread over large parts of Europe, where it inhabits deciduous and mixed forests....
(Müller, 1774) - Helicodonta wilhelminae Maassen, 1991