Pseudofusulus varians
Encyclopedia
Pseudofusulus varians is a species
of air-breathing land snail
, a terrestrial
pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Clausiliidae
.
Genus Pseudofusulus is monotypic genus (contains one species only) with Pseudofusulus varians as its type species
.
It is a relict species from Atlantic period of the Holocene
, inhabiting exclusively nature beech
and scree
forests in Europe.
in Styria, Austria.
The key area of its range are Western Alps (from the south-western part of Alps to Croatia, and also to Dolomites
in the southern Tyrol
).
is horny or greenish brown and finely ribbed. The shell has 9-10 whorls
. The apertural margin is detached. Columellaris is deep inside and forked, hardly visible in a perpendicular view. Palatal wall is white and prominent. There is no lunula. Subcolumellaris is very close to basal furrow, visible in an oblique view. Clausilium
is not very concave.
The width of the shell is 2.2-3 mm. The height of the shell is 9-12 mm.
and its populations are small and quite scattered in the whole of its range
.
It lives in virgin-like forest
s and old-growth forest with fallen dead wood
(coarse woody debris
) in montane
and submontane. It is found in humid and shady habitats in woods, under ground litter and stones, in mountains. In the Czech Republic it is strictly associated with trees, restricted to undisturbed and hardly accessible natural beech
forests. Pseudofusulus varians is strictly dendrophilous species, so the main threat is dead wood removing and clearcutting
.
As it is endangered in the whole Europe, it is very important to protect its modern sites
.
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
Land snail
A land snail is any of the many species of snail that live on land, as opposed to those that live in salt water and fresh water. Land snails are terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have shells, It is not always an easy matter to say which species are terrestrial, because some are more or less...
, 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 Clausiliidae
Clausiliidae
Clausiliidae, common name door snails, are a taxonomic family of small, very elongate, mostly left-handed, air-breathing land snails, sinistral terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks....
.
Genus Pseudofusulus is monotypic genus (contains one species only) with Pseudofusulus varians as its type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
.
It is a relict species from Atlantic period of the Holocene
Holocene
The Holocene is a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene and continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Quaternary period. Its name comes from the Greek words and , meaning "entirely recent"...
, inhabiting exclusively nature beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
and scree
Scree
Scree, also called talus, is a term given to an accumulation of broken rock fragments at the base of crags, mountain cliffs, or valley shoulders. Landforms associated with these materials are sometimes called scree slopes or talus piles...
forests in Europe.
Distribution
Its distribution is Eastern-Alpine and Western-Carpathian. The type locality is High AlpsHigh Alps
The High Alps are those parts of the Alps unsuitable for habitation or seasonal transhumance. This includes all regions higher than 3,000 m above sea level, as well as most regions between 2,500 m and 3,000 m The High Alps are those parts of the Alps unsuitable for habitation or seasonal...
in Styria, Austria.
The key area of its range are Western Alps (from the south-western part of Alps to Croatia, and also to Dolomites
Dolomites
The Dolomites are a mountain range located in north-eastern Italy. It is a part of Southern Limestone Alps and extends from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley in the east. The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley...
in the southern Tyrol
Tyrol (state)
Tyrol is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.The state is split into two parts–called North Tyrol and East Tyrol–by a -wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian province of...
).
- Austria
- Germany
- Czech Republic - 7 confirmed sites in Ore Mountains in Bohemia, locally extinct in Moravia. Allready Vojen Ložek has been calling for the effective conservation of this species in 1980s. It is one of the most endangered species in the Czech Republic, restricted to hidden and undisturbed natural deciduous forests. Originally it was known from 16 sites in the Ore MountainsOre MountainsThe Ore Mountains in Central Europe have formed a natural border between Saxony and Bohemia for many centuries. Today, the border between Germany and the Czech Republic runs just north of the main crest of the mountain range...
(Krušné Hory Mts.), in the northwestern Bohemia, Czech Republic and one site on the slope of Smrk Mount in the Moravian-Silesian BeskidsMoravian-Silesian BeskidsThe Moravian-Silesian Beskids is a mountain range in the Czech Republic with a small part reaching to Slovakia. It lies on the historical division between Moravia and Silesia, hence the name...
(Moravskoslezské Beskydy Mts.), East Moravia, Czech Republic.- extinct in Moravia: The forest at the only (but well populated) locality in the Moravia has been seriously damaged by air pollutionAir pollutionAir pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or cause damage to the natural environment or built environment, into the atmosphere....
from factories (such as Třinec Iron and Steel WorksTrinec Iron and Steel WorksTřinec Iron and Steel Works is a producer of long rolled steel products in Třinec, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic. TŽ produces over a third of all steel produced in the Czech Republic . Since its establishment, Třinecké železárny's plants have produced more than 150 million tons of...
and others) jointly with the 20°C dropping of temperatures in inversionInversion (meteorology)In meteorology, an inversion is a deviation from the normal change of an atmospheric property with altitude. It almost always refers to a temperature inversion, i.e...
on the 31st December 1978. The nearly all pollution-damaged stand died out at the southwestern slope on the Smrk Mount. - in Bohemia: The occurrence of the snail was recently confirmed only at seven sites in the Krušné Hory Mts. Remaining sites were destroyed due to human impacts, mainly acid rainAcid rainAcid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it possesses elevated levels of hydrogen ions . It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure. Acid rain is caused by emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen...
s and insensive forest managementForest management200px|thumb|right|[[Sustainable development|Sustainable]] forest management carried out by [[Complejo Forestal y Maderero Panguipulli|Complejo Panguipulli]] has contributed to the preservation of the forested landscape around [[Neltume]], a sawmill town in Chile...
mainly due to removal of dead wood and clearcuttingClearcuttingClearcutting, or clearfelling, is a controversial forestry/logging practice in which most or all trees in an area are uniformly cut down. Clearcutting, along with shelterwood and seed tree harvests, is used by foresters to create certain types of forest ecosystems and to promote select species that...
. Therefore its populations survived only in forest patches hidden in hardly accessible places.
- extinct in Moravia: The forest at the only (but well populated) locality in the Moravia has been seriously damaged by air pollution
- Slovakia - in the eastern part of Low Tatras, in the peak level of PoľanaPolanaPolana may refer to the following places in Poland:*Polana, Lower Silesian Voivodeship *Polana, Bieszczady County in Subcarpathian Voivodeship *Polana, Opole Voivodeship...
, Klenovský Vepor Mount in the Vepor MountainsVepor MountainsThe Vepor Mountains are a mountain range in Slovakia. It is a subdivision of the Slovak Ore Mountains in Slovakia's Spiš region.-See also:* Muránska planina National Park...
, Muránska planinaMuránska planinaMuránska planina is a plateau-like region in central Slovakia, between Brezno, Červená Skala , Muráň and Tisovec...
and the Ondrejsko in Slovak ParadiseSlovak ParadiseSlovak Paradise is a mountain range in central Slovakia. It is a part of the Spiš-Gemer Karst, which in turn is a part of the Slovenské rudohorie Mountains, a major subdivision of the Western Carpathians....
is the easternmost. All of these records in the Slovakia are coming from 1960s-1970s and there has been no verification since. - Croatia
- and others
Description
The shellGastropod shell
The gastropod shell is a shell which is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, one kind of mollusc. The gastropod shell is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage...
is horny or greenish brown and finely ribbed. The shell has 9-10 whorls
Whorl (mollusc)
A whorl is a single, complete 360° revolution or turn in the spiral growth of a mollusc shell. A spiral configuration of the shell is found in of numerous gastropods, but it is also found in shelled cephalopods including Nautilus, Spirula and the large extinct subclass of cephalopods known as the...
. The apertural margin is detached. Columellaris is deep inside and forked, hardly visible in a perpendicular view. Palatal wall is white and prominent. There is no lunula. Subcolumellaris is very close to basal furrow, visible in an oblique view. Clausilium
Clausilium
The clausilium is a calcareous anatomical structure which is found in one group of air-breathing land snails: terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Clausiliidae, the door snails...
is not very concave.
The width of the shell is 2.2-3 mm. The height of the shell is 9-12 mm.
Habitat
Pseudofusulus varians is very exacting on the quality of its environmentEnvironment (biophysical)
The biophysical environment is the combined modeling of the physical environment and the biological life forms within the environment, and includes all variables, parameters as well as conditions and modes inside the Earth's biosphere. The biophysical environment can be divided into two categories:...
and its populations are small and quite scattered in the whole of its range
Range (biology)
In biology, the range or distribution of a species is the geographical area within which that species can be found. Within that range, dispersion is variation in local density.The term is often qualified:...
.
It lives in virgin-like forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
s and old-growth forest with fallen dead wood
Dead wood
Forestry and gardening* coarse woody debris, fallen dead trees and the remains of large branches on the ground in forests.* large woody debris, logs, branches, and other wood that falls into streams and rivers....
(coarse woody debris
Coarse woody debris
Coarse woody debris is a term used in English-speaking countries for fallen dead trees and the remains of large branches on the ground in forests. Some prefer the term coarse woody habitat . A dead standing tree is known as a snag and provides many of the same functions as coarse woody debris...
) in montane
Montane
In biogeography, montane is the highland area located below the subalpine zone. Montane regions generally have cooler temperatures and often have higher rainfall than the adjacent lowland regions, and are frequently home to distinct communities of plants and animals.The term "montane" means "of the...
and submontane. It is found in humid and shady habitats in woods, under ground litter and stones, in mountains. In the Czech Republic it is strictly associated with trees, restricted to undisturbed and hardly accessible natural beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
forests. Pseudofusulus varians is strictly dendrophilous species, so the main threat is dead wood removing and clearcutting
Clearcutting
Clearcutting, or clearfelling, is a controversial forestry/logging practice in which most or all trees in an area are uniformly cut down. Clearcutting, along with shelterwood and seed tree harvests, is used by foresters to create certain types of forest ecosystems and to promote select species that...
.
As it is endangered in the whole Europe, it is very important to protect its modern sites
Conservation biology
Conservation biology is the scientific study of the nature and status of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction...
.