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Wikipedia / Gyraulus albus

Gyraulus albus, common name white ramshorn, is a small species of freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails.

Gyraulus albus is the type species of the genus Gyraulus.

Distribution

Palearctic:

Habitat

This small snail lives in various types of freshwater habitats among weed and on bottom mud. It doesn't require a high level of calcium.

Description

The shell of this species is rather small, reaching a height of 1.3 - 1.8mm and a width of 4 – 7mm. This shell has a discoid shape with 4 - 4½ body whorls that expand in the direction of the aperture. This aperture and the whorls are curved and do not have a keel.

The shell of this species is white (sometimes darkened by mud deposits) and has a characteristic spiral sculpture.

References

Further reading

  • V. Pfleger & June Chatfield, A guide to the snails of Britain and Europe; Hamlyn Publishing Group, London, 1988;