Arianta arbustorum

Several subspecies are recognized by some authors:

• Arianta arbustorum alpicola Férussac, 1821
• Arianta arbustorum arbustorum (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Arianta arbustorum canigonensis (Boubée, 1833)
• Arianta arbustorum picea
• Arianta arbustorum pseudorudis (Schlesch, 1924)
• Arianta arbustorum repellini (Reeve, 1852)
• Arianta arbustorum styriaca (Frauenfeld, 1868)
• Arianta arbustorum vareliensis Ripken & Falkner, 2000

This species is native to Europe:

• North-western and central Europe with Alps and Carpathians^[4]
• Netherlands^[5]
• Austria
• Czech Republic
• Slovakia
• Poland
• Switzerland. One of the most frequent species of land snails in Switzerland, can be very abundant, up to 20 adults per square meter.^[4]
• eastern Pyrenees, Spain^[4]
• Norway^[4]
• Iceland^[4]
• Faroe Islands^[6]
• the British Isles: Great Britain and Ireland^[4] In Britain the species suffered slightly from intensive farming and the continuous destructions of suitable uncultivated refuges.^[4] It is rare in Ireland.^[4]
• Kaliningrad^[4]
• Finland. In Finland, it has become so common in the Porvoo region east of Helsinki, that it is locally called the "Porvoo snail".
• Estonia^[4]
• Latvia^[4]
• scattered to Serbia^[4]
• Bulgaria^[4] It is rare in Bulgaria.^[4]
• western Ukraine^[4]

Arianta arbustorum is introduced to North America, but is only known from Canada, where established populations are known from Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Ontario,^[7] and Prince Edward Island.^[8]

This species has not yet become established in the US, but it is considered to represent a potentially serious threat as a pest, an invasive species which could negatively affect agriculture, natural ecosystems, human health or commerce. Therefore, it has been suggested that this species be given top national quarantine significance in the USA.^[9]

The shell is usually brown with numerous pale yellowish rows of spots and usually with a brown band above the periphery, occasionally yellowish, reddish or with greenish hue, weakly striated and with fine spiral lines on the upper side.^[4] The shell has 5-5.5 convex whorls with deep suture.^[4] The last whorl is slightly descending near the aperture.^[4] The aperture is with prominent white lip inside.^[4] The apertural margin is reflected.^[4] Umbilicus is entirely covered by the reflected columellar margin.^[4]

The width of the shell is 18–25 mm.^[4] The height of the shell is 12–22 mm.^[4] Dimensions are locally variable.^[4]

The shell shape is globular in most present-day populations, but originally is believed to have been depressed in the Pleistocene, before lowlands were invaded and shells became globular, re-invading mountain regions except some isolated spots among glaciers.^[4]

The animal is usually black.^[4]

Arianta arbustorum lives in forests and open habitats of any kind.^[4] It requires humidity.^[4] It lives also in disturbed habitats (not in Ireland where it is restricted to old native woodland).^[4] It may locally tolerate non-calcareous substrate, in north Scotland also on sandhills.^[4] In the Alps up to 2700 m, in Britain 1200 m, in Bulgaria 1500 m.^[4]

It feeds on green herbs, dead animals and faeces.^[4]

If snails hatched more than 50 m distant from each other, they are considered isolated since they would not move more than 25 m (neighbourhood area 32–50 m), usually they move about 7–12 m in a year, mostly along water currents.^[4]

This species of snail makes and uses calcareous love darts during mating. Reproduction is usually after copulation, but self-fertilization is also possible.^[4] The size of the egg is 3.2 mm.^[10] Maturity is reached after 2–4 years.^[4] The maximum age up to 14 years.^[4]

Angiostrongylus vasorum has successfully experimentally infected this snail.^[11]

Metaldehyde and iron phosphate can be used to exterminate snails.^[12] Since copper generates electric shocks that make it difficult for snails to move, it makes a great barrier material for them.^[13]