Need help with identification and lifespan

[counterbalance]

Please, help me identify these snails, and if you know their lifespan, it would be even better. I have no idea where they are from, because, just like all of my snails, these two were found in the imported fruit in my local supermarket. They are definitely not from my area, just like the fruit.

Sorry if some pictures aren't very good:

drive.google.com/file/d/1SxkJ94_MKD01kU_NggeKGxQ5pbFpG5Za/view?usp=sharing

drive.google.com/file/d/1Mi8BPBnaovdi19bBx1knSl1XuSZMg6Gg/view?usp=sharing

drive.google.com/file/d/1EkTbyvexlxG_8m66baCSYFmFgHzX0DEZ/view?usp=sharing

A bit more detailed here (if you don't count some stains of calcium powder and substrate on their shells, and they are slightly less red in RL):

drive.google.com/file/d/1eimboMOtUF1grCgYXxYtPjBNsaBnLTkB/view?usp=sharing

Their story: I found them almost 2,5 years ago and immediately took them home after making sure there weren't more of them in the crate of fruit. They had a few small cracks on their shells (probably got them during transportation), but they healed quite soon, and you can probably see a few scars left, but they are just scars. I don't think it was ever a big problem. The smaller one in the pictures was already an adult, which means I can't tell how old he is, but the bigger one was a juvenile at the time. Maybe thanks to a lot of nutritious food and easily accessible calcium, he turned out bigger than the older of the two when he grew up. Despite some size difference, I'm pretty sure they are the exact same species; plus, I saw them mating a few times.

They lived quite happily in their personal tank, because they are the biggest snails I've got, and I never had any concerns about their well-being. Recently, the bigger of the two (the younger one) was less active, but it's autumn, so I wasn't worried, because previous years all of my snails had been less active at this time of year than usual, and all of them were okay in the end.

Yesterday, I came back from my shift, and to my shock, found the snail in question (he's on the third picture) deeply retracted and dead. He even started to smell already. I never noticed him suffering from DRS. Unless, the retraction was so tiny that I failed to notice it. I also hadn't seen anything else that would make me worried, and I'm a worrier when it comes to my pets. I haven't changed anything about their habitat for a long time, if it matters.

I know it's odd that I only want them identified now that it's too late for one of them, but to me they were just two happy snails, and I never really wondered about it. Because of what happened, I need to ID them to know their lifespan. Could he have died of old age (with DRS it seems unlikely, but I'm not an expert) or it was something that I did or didn't do. I have no idea. I'm carefully watching the older snail. He seems active: eating, exploring, etc.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[wolf]

Hi counterbalance,
an identification of the species is often a little bit tricky without knowing the origin of the snail. Might be they belong to the genus Otala (O. lactea or O. punctata). Do you still have the shell(s)?? In Otala the opening (aperture) is more or less brown (sometimes even black) at the inner (!) side. An adult empty shell should allow a determination (living snails are sometimes difficult to judge). What is the precise width of the shell(s)?
Sorry, without better pictures it`s impossible (at least for me) to narrow it down.
Kind regards: wolf

[snaileyhammy]

Hi! These snails are so cute!
I am not the best with identification, so I will leave that to wolf. They do look a lot like Otala lactea to me, but it's hard to tell. I hope you are able to get them identified.

[counterbalance]

wolf, thank you!
Since he was so deeply retracted, I can tell that the inside of the shell is almost purely white. I already buried him in a flower pot, but I can dig him up again and take pictures(I intend to keep the shell later anyway). So it's probably not Otala then?
I've been searching and searching for a while now and I keep coming back to this species: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eobania_vermiculata. Could it be it? My snails' colour is something between this en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eobania_vermiculata#/media/File:Eobania_vermiculata_02.JPG and this en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eobania_vermiculata#/media/File:Eobania_vermiculata_01.JPG. The shape and size of the shells are very similar. But there's something that doesn't match. The article says: "Juveniles grow about 12–13 mm in diameter per year for 2 years". The younger wasn't a baby when I found him, but it definitely didn't take him that long to reach his full size. Once his shell healed, he started growing rapidly, and his shell was fully formed within a few months. He was already slightly more than 3 cm by then. On the other hand, they never hibernated, so I can't tell if it would've been the same for him in his natural conditions.
The article also says that 'reaching a maximum diameter (33 mm) may take 5 years or more, but mortality increases greatly after 2 years'. They never mention causes of mortality, but I guess Otto was, unfortunately, within the majority group that doesn't live much longer than 2 years (though he was probably around 3 years or slightly older, because, again, he wasn't a baby when he had been found). If my snails are, indeed Helix vermiculata, it's very upsetting for me to know that Otto could've lived a few more years, and a comfortable, safe tank just wasn't enough, unless I didn't provide something that his species need (for example, some mineral, apart from calcium). But then, the other snail is still okay, so it's very puzzling.

snaileyhammy, thank you as well! Sadly, one of the snails is going to be on his own now. They were very close and did everything together. If one of them slept, the other would wake him up and they would go to eat together. They would eat themselves to sleep and curl up together like cats. If I put some new sticks, leaves or moss into their tank, they investigated those things together. I feel bad that the surviving snail lost his partner, and I have no snails of the same species or even similar in size to safely keep him company.

[wolf]

Hi counterbalance,
you're quite right: if the inner margin of the opening is almost pure white, it can't be an Otala species. And, yes, it should be Massylaea vermiculata (formerly Eobania vermiculata, not Helix vermiculata). That fits rather well. Better pictures could help a lot (sharp and including a basal view). Yes, Massylaea vermiculata reaches a maximum width of about 32 up to 33 mm. The individual growth velocity depends on many factors.

Have a nice time: wolf

P.s: as far as I do, Massylaea vermiculata doesn't hibernate at all. It's natural distribution area is mediterranean, so it's not necessary to hibernate (and certainly not in a tank).