Land Snails

Photo(s): Views of an Oxychilus cellarius shell © Jeff Nekola.

Click photo(s) to enlarge.

Oxychilus cellarius (Müller, 1774) (non-native)

Family: Oxychilidae
Common name: Cellar Glass-snail

Identification
Width: 9-12 mm
Height: 4+ mm
Whorls: 5+

Oxychilus cellarius has a flattened, heliciform, clear-yellowish shell with fine radial growth lines. The umbilicus is open and the lip simple. The animal is blue-gray in color.

Ecology
In western European, this species is a common snail found in moist, shaded habitats, including forest, rock features, gardens, brushpiles, and caves (Kerney & Cameron, 1979). In North America it is found in anthropogenic habitats - yards and gardens, trash piles, and cellars (Pilsbry, 1946).

Taxonomy
Synonyms of O. cellarius include Helix cellarius, H. glyphyra, Zonites cellarius, and Oxychilus pulchro-striatum.

Distribution
This species has been introduced to North America from Europe. In North America it is known mainly from southern Canada, the West Coast, and the Northeast. In Virginia it is reported from several counties, with clusters in the Ridge-and-Valley.

Conservation
NatureServe Global Rank: G5
NatureServe State Rank: not listed

 

Ken Hotopp 1/2013

Range Map (click to enlarge)