Kingdom Animalia Class Gastropoda Family Hygromiidae Scientific name Trochulus oreinos | Phylum Mollusca Superfamily Helicoidea Genus Trochulus Rank Species | |
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Similar Trochulus, Cylindrus obtusus, Trochulus hispidus, Trochulus sericeus, Trochulus villosus | ||
Trochulus oreinos is a species of small, air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Hygromiidae, the hairy snails and their allies. This species is endemic to Austria.
Contents
This hariy-shelled snail was once confused with Trochulus hispidus, which it superficially resembles. There are two subspecies within this species. This snail prefers to live in open areas, unlike most other species in the genus, which prefer damp and shade.
Taxonomy
Trochulus oreinos comprises two subspecies: T. o. oreinos (Wagner, 1915) in Lower Austria and Styria and T. o. scheerpeltzi (Mikula, 1954) in Upper Austria. Both taxa were originally described as regional subspecies of Trochulus hispidus. Later these two subspecies were split from Trochulus hispidus and placed in a separate species because of differences in hair morphology. Current comprehensive research, based on molecular, morphological and ecological analyses, confirm this split from T. hispidus. Additionally it was pointed out that both subspecies represent separated mitochondrial lines, although there do exist morphologically intermediate forms.
Description
Trochulus oreinos can be separated from other representatives of the same genus by its small, curled hairs, which have a length of 0.03–0.09 mm. Like the other representatives of this genus, older individuals and empty shells have often lost the hairs on the shell. The shell is flat to slightly globular, and the shell width is 5.4–7.5 mm (0.21–0.30 in). Other marks are irregular, coarse ridges on the shell and an internal rib with a basal tooth in the peristome, visible as yellow structure from the outside.
The subspecies T. o. scheerpeltzi is characterized by a groove beneath the keel, but there are intermediate forms between the two subspecies with an incomplete or weakly developed groove.
While the gross anatomy of the reproductive system is similar to that of T. hispidus, both species can be unambiguously differentiated by the internal fold pattern of the penis.
Habitat and distribution
Trochulus oreinos does not live in forests, but instead inhabits primarily boulders, screes and alpine grassland, especially alpine meadows with patchy vegetation coverage, dominated by the sedge species Carex firma, in the Northern Calcareous Alps. Its vertical distribution reaches from the lower subalpine regions to the alpine ecotone, i.e. elevations of 1,400–2,300 metres (4,600–7,500 ft). The habitat preferences of this species are in contrast to those of the majority of other representatives of the genus Trochulus, which prefer damp and shady habitats. The distribution range reaches from Schneeberg mountain in Lower Austria to Höllengebirge in Upper Austria. Like the helicid snail Cylindrus obtusus, this species is suspected to be an ancient native East-alpine endemic, which survived the glacial times on ice-free parts of the north-eastern alpine margins.