Xeropicta krynickii

Family

Hygromidae

Species

Xeropicta krynickii (Krynicki, 1833)

Common name

Desert snail

Description

This species has a shellShell:
A hard, inflexible, calcareous or chitinous structure that vary in size and may either completely encasing the animal, covering some part of it or be internal.
diameter of 12-18 mm, with 5-6 whorlsWhorls:
Pleural of whorl. A whorl is a complete spiral turn/growth of the shell of a mollusc. The whorls are counted from the apex outwards.
. The shellShell:
A hard, inflexible, calcareous or chitinous structure that vary in size and may either completely encasing the animal, covering some part of it or be internal.
has a white baseBase:
This is the lower or underside of the shell; opposite of apical.
color with varying shades of brown spots and bands. This glossy shellShell:
A hard, inflexible, calcareous or chitinous structure that vary in size and may either completely encasing the animal, covering some part of it or be internal.
has uneven sculpturing and an open umbilicusUmbilicus:
A navel-like indentation or depression in the center of the shell. It may be described as open (inside of columella visible), partially closed (partly covered by base of aperture) or completely closed (not visible). The width of the umbilicus is a measure of its greatest diameter.
(navel).

Native range

Mediterranean region

Distribution

Middle East: Turkey to Jordon, Egypt, Israel

Ecology

This species prefers open habits, with little vegetation (e.g., gardens, road medians). Xeropicta krynickii may occur in vineyards and orchards where it will cause damage to the crop. This species is often inadvertently harvested with agricultural produce and is generally considered a contaminant pest. In Israel, this species often invades ornamental cropping systems in search of a place to aestivate. Shipments of these ornamental plants are often rejected by trading partners due to contamination by this species.

Synonyms

• Xeropicta vestalis (Pfeiffer, 1841)
• Helix vestalis Pfeiffer, 1841

References

Abbott 1989; Cowie et al. 2009; Kostyukovsky and Shaaya 2001; Moran et al. 2004