Cantareus apertus
Species of gastropod
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cantareus apertus,[2] commonly known as the green garden snail, is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Helicidae, the typical snails.
| Cantareus apertus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Cantareus apertus in Gavdos, Greece | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Order: | Stylommatophora |
| Family: | Helicidae |
| Genus: | Cantareus |
| Species: | C. apertus |
| Binomial name | |
| Cantareus apertus | |
| Synonyms | |
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Distribution
Cantareus apertus is native to Europe primarily near the Mediterranean Sea, and also North Africa.
Distribution of Cantareus apertus include:
- France west of Rhone estuary[3] It is protected in France, must not be collected for commercial purposes.[3]
- Islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea[3]
- Italy, Italian Peninsula to Liguria and Romagna[3]
- Ionian Islands
- Malta
- Central Greece[3]
- Aegean Islands[3]
- Cyprus (only one locality)[3]
- Mediterranean north Africa[3]
In Salento it is known as municeḍḍe and in Sicily as attuppateḍḍu.
It has also been introduced to other areas:
- It has become established in California and Louisiana.[citation needed]
- Western Australia – nonindigenous[4]
This species is already established in the United States, and 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.[5]
Description
The shell has a periostracum which is olive green in colour.[3] The last whorl is much larger than the others.[3] The width of the shell is 22–28 mm.; the height of the shell is also 22–28 mm.[3]
Ecology
Cantareus apertus inhabits Mediterranean shrublands, near cultivated fields, gardens.[3] In Gavdos (Greece) also in woodland spreading on recently abandoned cultivated fields, more rarely in natural habitats.[3]
In Crete this species is active for 3–4 months after the first rainfalls in October. It aestivates buried relatively deep in the soil.[3] In hot, dry weather, it burrows three to six inches[citation needed] into the ground and becomes dormant until rain softens the soil. A white convex epiphragm is created for aestivation.[3]
This species of snail makes and uses love darts.
