Helix aspersa

This snail is mainly nocturnal but will emerge after rain during the day. It moves by means of a muscular foot; the mucus secreted by the foot aids with movement and leaves a tell-tale track behind. They feed on a range of plant matter, and can be serious pests of gardens (4). This snail has a strong homing instinct, and spends the day, often in large groups, beneath stones and other structures. They hibernate through the winter in similar locations (5). Garden snails are hermaphrodites, meaning that one individual possesses both male and female reproductive organs; although they are able to self-fertilise, most snails mate with another snail (4). Reproduction takes place in early summer, and begins with pairing and courtship. After a period in which the members of the pair caress each other with their tentacles, each snail pierces the skin of its partner with a calcareous 'love dart', a spiny projection which is covered in mucus. The function of this love dart is unclear, but it is thought that the mucus may act to improve the survival of sperm. Mating then takes place; each snail inserts its penis into its partner at the same time (6). The snails separate, and the sperm is stored internally until the eggs are ripe. After the eggs have been fertilised, the snails dig pits in the soil in which to lay the eggs (5). Hatchlings have translucent, delicate shells (4). The garden snail is edible, and snail farming is currently a booming cottage industry in Britain. This species has also been used for centuries in traditional medicine, for example, broth made from the mucus was used to treat sore throats (7).

This snail is very common and widespread, and is the typical garden snail (1). The shell is generally spherical in shape with a short spire and a 'wrinkled' surface (3). It is pale brown, or yellow in colour (3), and is marked with a number of broken dark bands that give the shell a blotched appearance (2). The thickened lip around the large opening, or 'aperture' of the shell is white in colour (2).

occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

Canada

Origin: Exotic

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

United States

Origin: Exotic

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: (>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)) This European species has been widely introduced around the world.

The garden snail is found throughout most of lowland Britain (1). Elsewhere, it has a wide distribution, and is found across the Mediterranean area, in parts of western Europe, North Africa, and Asia Minor (2). It has also been widely introduced, and has become established in some areas of the USA (4).

Habitat Type: Terrestrial

Very often associated with humans, and can be found in parks and gardens. It also inhabits woods, hedgerows and dunes (3).

Non-Migrant: No. All populations of this species make significant seasonal migrations.

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Animal / parasite / endoparasite
Cryptobia helicis endoparasitises spermatheca of Helix aspersa

Note: For many non-migratory species, occurrences are roughly equivalent to populations.

Estimated Number of Occurrences: > 300

Comments: Hubricht (1953) lists vacant lots in Norfolk, Norfolk Co., Virginia. It has also been reported by Pilsbry (1939) from Charleston, South Carolina, Baton Rouge and New Orelans, Louisiana, and numerous areas in coastal southern California. Inland reports include Santa Fe, New Mexico (Cockerell, 1936), Shreveport, Louisiana (Branson, 1961), and Boulder, Colorado (McCoy and Nelson, 1962). It was first introduced to Hawaii in 1952 and 1956 in Oahu, on the Island of Hawaii in 1976, and from Maui (Kula) in 1981 (Cowie, 1996). A new record was found in Virginia in the city of Chincoteague, Accomack Co. (Orstan, 2008). Previous Virginia records include "near Virginia City" in 1924 (Dundee, 1974), Norfolk in 1943 (Hubricht, 1971), and in Chesapeake Co. (Beetle, 1973).

>1,000,000 individuals

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 8
Specimens with Barcodes: 8
Species With Barcodes: 1

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.

There is 1 barcode sequence available from BOLD and GenBank.   Below is the sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.  See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen.  Other sequences that do not yet meet barcode criteria may also be available.

Download FASTA File

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 0
Specimens with Barcodes: 10
Species With Barcodes: 1

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Reasons: This European species has been widely introduced around the world.

Common and widespread (2).

Not currently threatened.

Conservation action has not been targeted at this species.