Gyraulus albus

{{Short description|Species of gastropod}}

{{Speciesbox

| image = Gyraulus albus (O.F.Müller, 1774) (2999354585).jpg

| taxon = Gyraulus albus

| authority = (O. F. Müller, 1774)Müller O. F. (1774). Vermivm terrestrium et fluviatilium, seu animalium infusoriorum, helminthicorum, et testaceorum, non marinorum, succincta historia. Volumen alterum. pp. I-XXXVI, 1-214, Havniae & Lipsiae. page 164

| synonyms =

Planorbis albus Müller, 1774

Planorbis hispidus Draparnaud, 1805

}}

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:

  • Belgium
  • Czech Republic{{in lang|cs}} Horsák M., Juřičková L., Beran L., Čejka T. & Dvořák L. (2010). "Komentovaný seznam měkkýšů zjištěných ve volné přírodě České a Slovenské republiky. [Annotated list of mollusc species recorded outdoors in the Czech and Slovak Republics]". Malacologica Bohemoslovaca, Suppl. 1: 1-37. [http://mollusca.sav.sk/pdf/9/Suppl-1-v2.pdf PDF]. - least concern (LC)
  • Germany
  • Hungary
  • Netherlands{{in lang|nl}} Gittenberger E., Janssen A. W., Kuijper W. J., Kuiper J. G. J., Meijer T., van der Velde G. & de Vries J. N. (2004). Nederlandse zoetwatermollusken. Nederlandse Fauna 2. KNNV uitgeverij . 288 pp., {{ISBN|978-90-5011-201-7}}. [http://www.naturalis.nl//sites/naturalis.nl/contents/i001163/pp.%20152%20-%20153.pdf 152-153] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023025223/http://www.naturalis.nl//sites/naturalis.nl/contents/i001163/pp.%20152%20-%20153.pdf |date=2007-10-23 }}.
  • Poland
  • Slovakia
  • Great Britain
  • Ireland

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 - 1.8 mm and a width of 4 – 7 mm. 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

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

  • V. Pfleger & June Chatfield, A guide to the snails of Britain and Europe; Hamlyn Publishing Group, London, 1988; {{ISBN|0-600-55127-X}}