Thank you for the warm welcome, everyone! I have taken a bunch of pictures of the various snails I've found- but I can't seem to post them in the identification area? I'm guessing I need to rack up some more posts before I can do that. I'll post them here in the meantime. Is there a better place for me to post them? What I initially assumed were variations on cornu aspersa- I now think are a few different species. Some of the differences are subtle, but the most telling seem to be shape of the shell. I'm finding some to be more round and others to have a slightly more conical shape.
FAST FORWARD: If you want to see the ones which I think may be pomatia (or perhaps Helix Mazuli, or helix aperta, or perhaps some kind of humboltiana... I'm kinda at a loss).
Possible helpful ID information:
-These snails were all found on my avocado grove, which is mature (50 years plus).
-None of the snails seem to bother the trees, unless the leaves are on the ground and have begun to decay.
-Other plants in the area include dandelions, wonder berries, wild strawberries (they don't make fruit, only incredibly spiky seeds), wild cucumber (poisonous), wild grape vines, penny royal, sumac, monkey flowers, and various other flowering, creeping, and spiked chaparral weeds.
-The soil is very dark and rich in organic matter. The leaf litter has an abundance of wood louse, centipedes, earthworms, wolf spiders, small red spiders, etc. The leaf litter in shaded areas is approximately 8" thick, with open areas or well traveled areas being less than 3" thick.
-Rock outcroppings in the area are almost exclusively granite and DG.
-Ambient temperatures range from the lowest, low of winter- 50F, to occasional summer highs of 95F. In summer, ambient temperatures beneath the trees are ususally 10-15 degrees cooler than sunny areas.
-The trees are watered at least once a week, with more irrigation during the summer months when the leaf litter is unable to hold enough moisture. With avocados being a tropical, shallow-rooted tree, they require substantial quantities of water and must not be allowed to dry out completely. They require well watered, but also well drained soil.
-The grove is approximately 1 hour north of San Diego proper, with an elevation of 1400 feet above sea level. The area is rural agriculture interspersed with chaparral.
Okay, all that info out of the way, here are the pics of what I've found so far.
This is the most obvious. I'm assuming this is a highly marked cornu aspersa. It seems to be a rather classic garden snail in the area.
Similar in shape, about 25% smaller, with tighter and less striking pattern. A different aspersa morph?
And now on to the more interesting things I've found. These are a bit different. While the shape is similar to the previous snails, the shell is MUCH thinner and more delicate. It's a bit of a wonder that these seem to survive so well. They are a "blond" yellow color and have little to no banding. The largest specimens are comparable in size to the previous snails.
Next up, are what I am 99.2% sure are milk snails. They are not quite as plentiful as the others and considerably more shy, but can be found when the sprinklers are actively on. They seem to prefer areas where there is more sun and less leaf litter. I have found banded and unbanded varieties, all with the signature black/chocolate underside. Unlike the taupe bodies of the aspersa, these almost have a grey/blue tint to them. All seemed to darken in color when brought inside (too much moisture? Not enough? dark substrate? Change in diet?). They were initially ivory and chocolate. Now they are tan and chocolate.
The next two seem to have two varieties- though maybe these are yet another aspersa morph? Instead of "tiger stripes" which are jagged and interrupted, these snails have smooth whirls, ranging from red to dark brown. Their shells also seem to be somewhat smoother, though their shape is nearly identical to the garden snails.
Lastly, here are what I believe may be roman snails. Their shells have little riblets, are very hard, and very dense. They range in color from blond to red-brown and have a somewhat more pointed shell. With the grove's proximity to the mexico border (50 miles away), perhaps these are some kind of humboldtiana? helix aperta? mazzulli? Something I haven't found a picture of yet, online?
I'd love to hear your thoughts about all these guys. They are currently being kept on coconut substrate with a diet of carrot, cucumber, cabbage, apple, radish greens, and tomato. They have access to a cuttle bone as well. All species seem to be mowing through the veg (and bone) eagerly.
I probably should have put something in the pictures to show scale. Most are being photographed atop a "dipping bowl" about 5" wide at the mouth, with the bottom ring (used as the top in these photos) being about 2 1/2" across.
Thanks for your time!
