Parmacella valenciennii
Encyclopedia
Parmacella valenciennii is a species
of air-breathing land snail
, a terrestrial
pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Parmacellidae
.
. Adult specimens are lighter. The body is sharply keeled in the posterior section. The mantle length in young animals is about 3/4 of the body length. The mantle is rounded in the anterior part and pointed in posterior part. The animal is up to 100 mm long, usually 70–80 mm long and 20 mm in width.
The shell
is yellow, triangular, fragile and flat, with 1.5 whorls
. The length of the shell is 15 mm, 9 mm in width and 2–3 mm high.
Parmacella valenciennii differs anatomically from all other Parmacella species by a single, characteristically horn-shaped and almost straight accessory atrial appendix.
There is a high abundance of these animals in the spring; the animals were so abundant that they were formerly used as pig food in southern Portugal.
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 Parmacellidae
Parmacellidae
Parmacellidae is a family of air-breathing land slugs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks within the superfamily Parmacelloidea ....
.
Distribution
The distribution of Parmacella valenciennii includes:- Southern Portugal (south of Lisboa), It is very abundant in Alentejo.
- Spain
- Isolated area(s) in southern France
Description
The animal is brownish red to brownish olive, with black bands on the mantleMantle (mollusc)
The mantle is a significant part of the anatomy of molluscs: it is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass and usually protrudes in the form of flaps well beyond the visceral mass itself.In many, but by no means all, species of molluscs, the epidermis of the mantle secretes...
. Adult specimens are lighter. The body is sharply keeled in the posterior section. The mantle length in young animals is about 3/4 of the body length. The mantle is rounded in the anterior part and pointed in posterior part. The animal is up to 100 mm long, usually 70–80 mm long and 20 mm in width.
The shell
Gastropod 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 yellow, triangular, fragile and flat, with 1.5 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 length of the shell is 15 mm, 9 mm in width and 2–3 mm high.
Parmacella valenciennii differs anatomically from all other Parmacella species by a single, characteristically horn-shaped and almost straight accessory atrial appendix.
Ecology
Parmacella valenciennii lives in stony open habitats, preferring shady and humid sites between plants and stones. The animals move slowly.There is a high abundance of these animals in the spring; the animals were so abundant that they were formerly used as pig food in southern Portugal.