Pupilla alpicola
Encyclopedia
Pupilla alpicola is a species
of minute air-breathing land snail
, a terrestrial
pulmonate gastropod mollusk or micromollusk
in the family Pupillidae
.
slightly larger than Pupilla muscorum
, with slightly more prominent growth lines, around 6 not very convex whorls
, apex flat (contrast to Pupilla muscorum and Pupilla pratensis
), apertural lip weak, cervical callus weak, usually no teeth, occasionally a weak parietal tooth, presence of a characteristic gutter-like depression in the external surface of the last whorl, at about 1/4 of the distance from its base (in oblique light visible in the aperture as a narrow, delicate ridge).
The height of the shell is 2.8-3.3 mm. The width of the shell is 1.75-1.8 mm.
Pupilla alpicola has been listed as a part of fauna of the Czech Republic for a long time (as probably extinct in Bohemia and critically endangered (CR) in Moravia). After very similar taxon Pupilla pratensis
was elevated to its species level in 2009, the revision showed that Pupilla alpicola does not live in the Czech Republic and all of them are Pupilla pratensis in that country.
s. In Switzerland between 900 and 2500 m altitude.
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 minute 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 or micromollusk
Micromollusk
A micromollusk is a descriptive term for a shelled mollusk which is extremely small, even at full adult size. The word is usually, but not exclusively, applied to marine mollusks, although in addition, numerous species of land snails and freshwater mollusks also reach adult size at very small...
in the family Pupillidae
Pupillidae
Pupillidae is a family of mostly minute, air-breathing, land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks or micromollusks in the clade Stylommatophora....
.
Description
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...
slightly larger than Pupilla muscorum
Pupilla muscorum
Pupilla muscorum is a species of minute air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk or micromollusk in the family Pupillidae.- Taxonomy :A variety Pupilla muscorum var...
, with slightly more prominent growth lines, around 6 not very convex 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...
, apex flat (contrast to Pupilla muscorum and Pupilla pratensis
Pupilla pratensis
Pupilla pratensis is a species of minute air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk or micromollusk in the family Pupillidae. This taxon was elevated to species level in 2009.- Taxonomy :...
), apertural lip weak, cervical callus weak, usually no teeth, occasionally a weak parietal tooth, presence of a characteristic gutter-like depression in the external surface of the last whorl, at about 1/4 of the distance from its base (in oblique light visible in the aperture as a narrow, delicate ridge).
The height of the shell is 2.8-3.3 mm. The width of the shell is 1.75-1.8 mm.
Distribution
Distribution of Pupilla alpicola include Alps and Carpathians. Pupilla alpicola has scattered distribution, it is rare. Most of its habitats are close to alpine diaries, that is implying a danger.- Critically endangered in Germany
- vulnerable in Switzerland
- potentially threatened in Austria
- Poland - critically endangeredCritically endangeredVersion 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
- Slovakia
Pupilla alpicola has been listed as a part of fauna of the Czech Republic for a long time (as probably extinct in Bohemia and critically endangered (CR) in Moravia). After very similar taxon Pupilla pratensis
Pupilla pratensis
Pupilla pratensis is a species of minute air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk or micromollusk in the family Pupillidae. This taxon was elevated to species level in 2009.- Taxonomy :...
was elevated to its species level in 2009, the revision showed that Pupilla alpicola does not live in the Czech Republic and all of them are Pupilla pratensis in that country.
Ecology
Pupilla alpicola occur In moss of wet meadows in high alpine regions, mostly in calcareous fenFen
A fen is a type of wetland fed by mineral-rich surface water or groundwater. Fens are characterised by their water chemistry, which is neutral or alkaline, with relatively high dissolved mineral levels but few other plant nutrients...
s. In Switzerland between 900 and 2500 m altitude.