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Post by Paul on Aug 6, 2005 14:11:31 GMT
I was clearing my yard out today when I came across two tiny Oxychilus alliarius (Garlic snail) snails. They were so tiny and as there was only two, I had to bring them in for now, to make sure they survive the yard clean up. They must be 5-6mm in size. Here is a pic of what this species looks like: They have an amazing blue body.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2005 14:18:05 GMT
have u smelt the garlic smell? i quite like it. my garden has a few oxychilus species and theyre a nightmare to identify when youve only got the shells
kind regards
mike
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Post by Paul on Aug 6, 2005 14:20:20 GMT
To be honest I haven't, I just assumed they were alliarius because they looked so much like them. Are there other similar looking species, you're the master when it comes to native snails? Perhaps you can help to expand the species section of the website, you up for it? We'll all help where possible....
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2005 14:35:24 GMT
theres 4 british species
oxychilus alliarius is smallest (6-8mm) and when you poke it it smells of garlic. shell colour is variable, pale brown to greenish. it has a dark blue body. spire is slightly raised
o. helveticus is slightly bigger than o.a. at 8-10mm. it has a slightly raised spire and a rich brown, glossy shell. the body is dark blue-grey. sometimes is has a garlic smell
o. cellarius is 9-12mm and very common. it has a pale, transparent glossy shell with a flattened spire and a pale blue-grey body. no smell.
o. draparnaudi is 11-16mm with a flattened spire, yellow-brown shell. the body is dark blue-black.
thats the information from the book.
kind regards
mike
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Kevin
Archachatina dimidiata
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Post by Kevin on Aug 6, 2005 14:37:40 GMT
I really like these snails...They're body colour is really unusual I think.
Are there larger Garlic Snail species found within europe?
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Post by Paul on Aug 6, 2005 14:41:17 GMT
nice one, I'll get back to you when I've had a look. They are very small but I have no idea whether they are fully grown. I really need to find my magnifying glass. I also have a fresnel lens somewhere - they're fantastic for ultra magnification. And they're cheap as hell, if you can find them.
From these descriptions, apart from the size mine sound like O. helveticus, because they're shell is glossy, rich brown and they have a blue body. But pictures of alliarius are also glossy in the pictures. How can you tell the difference between helveticus and alliarius? Is it purely size when fully grown coz everything else sounds very similar?
If mine don't grow more I'll assume they are Oxychilus alliarius.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 6, 2005 14:50:22 GMT
oh are you keeping them as pets? well i dunno what they eat.
well i guess helveticus has a rich brown shell, and alliarius has a light-coloured shell.
allarius has 4.0-4.5 whorls in the first 6-7mm.
alliarius has a mantle colour the same colour as the body. helveticus has a black mantle, which sometimes shows through on the edge of the shell.
''the maximum sizes given are rarely exceeded''
try the odour one too. prod it gently with a grass stem. if it doesnt smell its helveticus. if it does its probably alliarius but helveticus sometimes smells too.
kind regards
mike
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Post by Paul on Aug 6, 2005 15:16:17 GMT
Right, I will do, I had to shift them, I don't think I will be keeping them, they're far too small and fiddly really. I thought I'd take the opportunity to keep some for a few days while the back yard is being sorted. They're too easy to miss, whereas I've removed all the other species to safety cause you can't miss them.
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