Zonitoides nitidus

Shiny dagger worm ( Zonitoides nitidus )

The Shining Dagger worm ( Zonitoides nitidus ) is a species of snail from the subordination of terrestrial snails ( gastropod ). It also occurs in Central Europe. The species was described in 1774 by Otto Friedrich Müller under the name Helix nitida first time.

Features

The housing is low - conical and right wound. It measures 6-7 mm in diameter, with a height up to 3.5 mm. It has 4.5 whorls weakly convex, which are widely wound. This creates a relatively more navel ( for a species of the family dagger snails). The body is reddish brown to dark brown; outside striped strong irregular and shiny. In the living animal, the cabinet color falls from almost black, because the case is translucent and appear much darker with the black body of the animal. Shortly before the mouth seems to be the orange-red mantle edge gland by the shell. Eggs are laid in the fall. The calcareous, slightly flattened eggs are deposited in small Situated 2-8 eggs. A total of three to four such clutches are applied. Jung screw slip in dependence on the temperature by about 3 weeks. The animals usually die in late autumn and winter, only the half-grown cubs.

Occurrence and life

The species lives on wet meadows, reed beds of lakes and rivers, swamps and in lowland forests, usually near water. The animals feed on decaying plant material, fungi and herbs. In general, they are a year old, rarely also 15-16 months.

Dissemination

The species occurs throughout Europe before, with the exception of northern Scandinavia. She has since been deported to North America.