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Helix lucorum
Species of gastropod

Helix lucorum is a species of large, edible, air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Helicidae, the typical snails.

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Description

Adult snails weigh about 20–25 g.2

The width of the shell is 35–60 mm.3 The height of the shell is 25–45 mm.4

This species of snail makes and uses love darts.

Distribution

The native distribution is the Caucasus, Anatolia and, arguably, the Balkans. It has also invaded many other regions since ancient times, likely assisted by humans.5

Eastern native range with main genetic diversity of the species:

Balkans (probably native):

Other countries:

  • Israel18
  • Syria
  • Russia - could be native in Caucasus, invasive in some other regions19
  • Italy - probably invasive20
  • Hungary - probably invasive21
  • Romania - probably invasive22
  • Ukraine - invasive, in Crimea ("Helix taurica Krynicki, 1833") at least since early 19 century, probably much longer, these populations originated from Anatolia;23 other colonies of a different lineage also appear since 2000s in mainland part of Southern Ukraine and in Crimea as well242526
  • Czech Republic - invasive, since 2009, as of 2011 the only locality is Prague-Žižkov2728
  • Slovakia - invasive, since 2013, as of 2014 the only locality is in Bratislava29
  • France - invasive
  • Great Britain - invasive, since 2009, at Wimbledon30

Ecology

The diameter of the egg is 4.4 mm.31 Juvenile snails that are two to three months old weigh 0.5–0.9 g.32

Human use

Measurement of DNA damage in H. lucorum collected from environmental sites can be used for evaluating soil pollution at these sites.33 DNA damage in H. lucorum haemocytes and digestive gland cells is determined by the comet assay.

Helix lucorum is used in cuisine as escargots.

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References

  1. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Helix lucorum Linnaeus, 1758. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1050278 on 2020-05-02 http://marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1050278 ↩

  2. Danilova A.B. & Grinkevich L. N. (2012). "Failure of Long-Term Memory Formation in Juvenile Snails Is Determined by Acetylation Status of Histone H3 and Can Be Improved by NaB Treatment". PLoS ONE 7(7): e41828. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041828. /wiki/PLoS_ONE ↩

  3. (in Czech) Horsák M., Juřičková L., Beran L., Čejka T. & Dvořák L. (2010). "Komentovaný seznam měkkýšů zjištěných ve volné přírodě České a Slovenské republiky. [Annotated list of mollusc species recorded outdoors in the Czech and Slovak Republics]". Malacologica Bohemoslovaca, Suppl. 1: 1-37. PDF. /wiki/Malacologica_Bohemoslovaca ↩

  4. (in Czech) Horsák M., Juřičková L., Beran L., Čejka T. & Dvořák L. (2010). "Komentovaný seznam měkkýšů zjištěných ve volné přírodě České a Slovenské republiky. [Annotated list of mollusc species recorded outdoors in the Czech and Slovak Republics]". Malacologica Bohemoslovaca, Suppl. 1: 1-37. PDF. /wiki/Malacologica_Bohemoslovaca ↩

  5. Korábek O., Juřičková L., Balashov I., Petrusek A. The contribution of ancient and modern anthropogenic introductions to the colonization of Europe by the land snail Helix lucorum Linnaeus, 1758 (Helicidae) // Contributions to Zoology. — 2018. — 87 (2). — P. 61—74. https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/ctoz/87/2/article-p61_1.xml ↩

  6. Korábek O., Juřičková L., Balashov I., Petrusek A. The contribution of ancient and modern anthropogenic introductions to the colonization of Europe by the land snail Helix lucorum Linnaeus, 1758 (Helicidae) // Contributions to Zoology. — 2018. — 87 (2). — P. 61—74. https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/ctoz/87/2/article-p61_1.xml ↩

  7. Korábek O., Juřičková L., Balashov I., Petrusek A. The contribution of ancient and modern anthropogenic introductions to the colonization of Europe by the land snail Helix lucorum Linnaeus, 1758 (Helicidae) // Contributions to Zoology. — 2018. — 87 (2). — P. 61—74. https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/ctoz/87/2/article-p61_1.xml ↩

  8. Mumladze L. (2013). "Shell size differences in Helix lucorum Linnaeus, 1758 (Mollusca: Gastropoda) between natural and urban environments". Turkish Journal of Zoology 37: 1-6. /w/index.php?title=Turkish_Journal_of_Zoology&action=edit&redlink=1 ↩

  9. Korábek O., Juřičková L., Balashov I., Petrusek A. The contribution of ancient and modern anthropogenic introductions to the colonization of Europe by the land snail Helix lucorum Linnaeus, 1758 (Helicidae) // Contributions to Zoology. — 2018. — 87 (2). — P. 61—74. https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/ctoz/87/2/article-p61_1.xml ↩

  10. Korábek O., Juřičková L., Balashov I., Petrusek A. The contribution of ancient and modern anthropogenic introductions to the colonization of Europe by the land snail Helix lucorum Linnaeus, 1758 (Helicidae) // Contributions to Zoology. — 2018. — 87 (2). — P. 61—74. https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/ctoz/87/2/article-p61_1.xml ↩

  11. Korábek O., Juřičková L., Balashov I., Petrusek A. The contribution of ancient and modern anthropogenic introductions to the colonization of Europe by the land snail Helix lucorum Linnaeus, 1758 (Helicidae) // Contributions to Zoology. — 2018. — 87 (2). — P. 61—74. https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/ctoz/87/2/article-p61_1.xml ↩

  12. Korábek O., Juřičková L., Balashov I., Petrusek A. The contribution of ancient and modern anthropogenic introductions to the colonization of Europe by the land snail Helix lucorum Linnaeus, 1758 (Helicidae) // Contributions to Zoology. — 2018. — 87 (2). — P. 61—74. https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/ctoz/87/2/article-p61_1.xml ↩

  13. Korábek O., Juřičková L., Balashov I., Petrusek A. The contribution of ancient and modern anthropogenic introductions to the colonization of Europe by the land snail Helix lucorum Linnaeus, 1758 (Helicidae) // Contributions to Zoology. — 2018. — 87 (2). — P. 61—74. https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/ctoz/87/2/article-p61_1.xml ↩

  14. Korábek O., Juřičková L., Balashov I., Petrusek A. The contribution of ancient and modern anthropogenic introductions to the colonization of Europe by the land snail Helix lucorum Linnaeus, 1758 (Helicidae) // Contributions to Zoology. — 2018. — 87 (2). — P. 61—74. https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/ctoz/87/2/article-p61_1.xml ↩

  15. Korábek O., Juřičková L., Balashov I., Petrusek A. The contribution of ancient and modern anthropogenic introductions to the colonization of Europe by the land snail Helix lucorum Linnaeus, 1758 (Helicidae) // Contributions to Zoology. — 2018. — 87 (2). — P. 61—74. https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/ctoz/87/2/article-p61_1.xml ↩

  16. Korábek O., Juřičková L., Balashov I., Petrusek A. The contribution of ancient and modern anthropogenic introductions to the colonization of Europe by the land snail Helix lucorum Linnaeus, 1758 (Helicidae) // Contributions to Zoology. — 2018. — 87 (2). — P. 61—74. https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/ctoz/87/2/article-p61_1.xml ↩

  17. Korábek O., Juřičková L., Balashov I., Petrusek A. The contribution of ancient and modern anthropogenic introductions to the colonization of Europe by the land snail Helix lucorum Linnaeus, 1758 (Helicidae) // Contributions to Zoology. — 2018. — 87 (2). — P. 61—74. https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/ctoz/87/2/article-p61_1.xml ↩

  18. Commonwealth of Australia (2002 April). "Citrus Imports from the Arab Republic of Egypt. A Review Under Existing Import Conditions for Citrus from Israel Archived 2009-01-09 at the Wayback Machine". Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Australia. Caption: Gastropods, page 12 and Appendix 2. http://www.daff.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/24702/fin_egyptian_citrus.pdf ↩

  19. Korábek O., Juřičková L., Balashov I., Petrusek A. The contribution of ancient and modern anthropogenic introductions to the colonization of Europe by the land snail Helix lucorum Linnaeus, 1758 (Helicidae) // Contributions to Zoology. — 2018. — 87 (2). — P. 61—74. https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/ctoz/87/2/article-p61_1.xml ↩

  20. Korábek O., Juřičková L., Balashov I., Petrusek A. The contribution of ancient and modern anthropogenic introductions to the colonization of Europe by the land snail Helix lucorum Linnaeus, 1758 (Helicidae) // Contributions to Zoology. — 2018. — 87 (2). — P. 61—74. https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/ctoz/87/2/article-p61_1.xml ↩

  21. Korábek O., Juřičková L., Balashov I., Petrusek A. The contribution of ancient and modern anthropogenic introductions to the colonization of Europe by the land snail Helix lucorum Linnaeus, 1758 (Helicidae) // Contributions to Zoology. — 2018. — 87 (2). — P. 61—74. https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/ctoz/87/2/article-p61_1.xml ↩

  22. Korábek O., Juřičková L., Balashov I., Petrusek A. The contribution of ancient and modern anthropogenic introductions to the colonization of Europe by the land snail Helix lucorum Linnaeus, 1758 (Helicidae) // Contributions to Zoology. — 2018. — 87 (2). — P. 61—74. https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/ctoz/87/2/article-p61_1.xml ↩

  23. Korábek O., Juřičková L., Balashov I., Petrusek A. The contribution of ancient and modern anthropogenic introductions to the colonization of Europe by the land snail Helix lucorum Linnaeus, 1758 (Helicidae) // Contributions to Zoology. — 2018. — 87 (2). — P. 61—74. https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/ctoz/87/2/article-p61_1.xml ↩

  24. Korábek O., Juřičková L., Balashov I., Petrusek A. The contribution of ancient and modern anthropogenic introductions to the colonization of Europe by the land snail Helix lucorum Linnaeus, 1758 (Helicidae) // Contributions to Zoology. — 2018. — 87 (2). — P. 61—74. https://brill.com/downloadpdf/journals/ctoz/87/2/article-p61_1.xml ↩

  25. Balashov I. & Gural-Sverlova N. (2012). "An annotated checklist of the terrestrial molluscs of Ukraine". Journal of Conchology 41(1): 91-109. /wiki/Journal_of_Conchology ↩

  26. Balashov I.A., Kramarenko S.S., Zhukov A.V., Shklyaruk A.N., Baidashnikov A.A., Vasyliuk A.V. 2013. Contribution to the knowledge of terrestrial molluscs in southeastern Ukraine. Malacologica Bohemoslovaca. 12: 62–69. http://mollusca.sav.sk/pdf/12/12.Balashov.pdf ↩

  27. (in Czech) Horsák M., Juřičková L., Beran L., Čejka T. & Dvořák L. (2010). "Komentovaný seznam měkkýšů zjištěných ve volné přírodě České a Slovenské republiky. [Annotated list of mollusc species recorded outdoors in the Czech and Slovak Republics]". Malacologica Bohemoslovaca, Suppl. 1: 1-37. PDF. /wiki/Malacologica_Bohemoslovaca ↩

  28. Peltanová A., Petrusek A., Kment P. & Juřičková L. (2011). "A fast snail's pace: colonization of Central Europe by Mediterranean gastropods". Biological Invasions 14(4): 759-764. doi:10.1007/s10530-011-0121-9. /wiki/Doi_(identifier) ↩

  29. Čejka T. & Čačaný J. (2014). "The first record of the Turkish snail (Helix lucorum L., 1758) in the Slovak Republic". Malacologica Bohemoslovaca 13: 124–125. PDF. /wiki/Malacologica_Bohemoslovaca ↩

  30. Palmer, P. (2010). "Helix lucorum in Wimbledon, S.W. London". Mollusc World. 23: 12. ↩

  31. Heller J.: Life History Strategies. in Barker G. M. (ed.): The biology of terrestrial molluscs. CABI Publishing, Oxon, UK, 2001, ISBN 0-85199-318-4. 1-146, cited page: 428. https://books.google.com/books?id=WlvX-9Wt0toC&hl ↩

  32. Danilova A.B. & Grinkevich L. N. (2012). "Failure of Long-Term Memory Formation in Juvenile Snails Is Determined by Acetylation Status of Histone H3 and Can Be Improved by NaB Treatment". PLoS ONE 7(7): e41828. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0041828. /wiki/PLoS_ONE ↩

  33. Sargsyan A, Hovhannisyan G, Simonyan A, Arakelyan M, Arzumanyan M, Aroutiounian R. Application of land snail Helix lucorum for evaluation of genotoxicity of soil pollution. Mutat Res Genet Toxicol Environ Mutagen. 2022 Jun;878:503500. doi: 10.1016/j.mrgentox.2022.503500. Epub 2022 May 6. PMID 35649673 ↩