Detection of an invasive species Arion vulgaris Moquin-Tandon, 1855 (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Arionidae) in the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania

Arion vulgaris Moquin-Tandon is a serious agricultural pest. Its rapid spread started in the middle of the twentieth century. Currently, its range covers almost all of Western Europe and it is rapidly expanding to the east. A. vulgaris has been recorded in the Baltics, Ukraine, and central Russia; it is also found in the Faroe Islands. In 2009, it was discovered in Russia in the commercial greenhouses of Tver. Now it has spread in the suburbs and Moscow. On the 6th of August 2019, a population of this species was found in the arboretum of Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia which is the first record of A. vulgaris in the Caucasus. Description of the slug’s genitalia is given.

New Serbian records of the slug Tandonia kusceri (H. Wagner, 1931) (Gastropoda: Eupulmonata: Milacidae) suggest its continuous dispersal to the north

Tandonia kusceri (H. Wagner) is a terrestrial slug native to the Balkan Peninsula (S. Serbia, N. Macedonia, Bulgaria and Dobrudja region of Romania) and the European part of Turkey. In Serbia, it was known mostly from the southern regions. The northernmost locality (Palić settlement, near Subotica) reported here suggests that the slug’s distribution is nearly continuous from its native range until Slovakia. The new record was first recognised from the pictures posted on a Facebook group for insect identification in 2021. The identification was subsequently confirmed by anatomical examination. This further emphasises the importance of social media in monitoring the spread of invasive invertebrates.

News from the western front: occurrence of Mediterranea depressa (Sterki, 1880) (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Oxychilidae) in the Vosges and Jura Mountains (north-eastern France)

We report here the first record of Mediterranea depressa (Sterki, 1880) in the north-eastern quarter of France, in the Vosges and Jura massifs. After the fortuitous discovery of some shells attributed to M. depressa in the southern Vosges Mts., an extensive sampling campaign was carried out both in the Vosges and in the Jura Mts. In total, about 20 shells and seven live specimens were found at eight localities, which, according to the present state of our knowledge, represent its north-western range limit. The species was found exclusively under stones of rocky slope screes on siliceous and calcareous substrates. Some of these habitats could be described as Mesovoid Shallow Substratum. It is not clear whether the rarity of the species is an effect of under-sampling or of its small size and unusual habitat or/and to intrinsic rarity due to isolated populations at the distribution limits of the species. The extreme north-eastern quarter of France constitutes an oceanic-continental transition zone where about thirty gastropod species from Central and Eastern Europe are currently documented at the western limit of their ranges.

Diversity of terrestrial gastropods in Kabylia region (Tizi-Ouzou, Northern Algeria)

The goal of this study was to record the malacofauna of the Kabylia region, Tizi-Ouzou, in Northern Algeria, at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea, and to report the distribution pattern of terrestrial gastropod diversity in five different types of habitat (dune, agricultural fields, rural sites, forests, and mountain locations). A total of 33 species of terrestrial snails and slugs were recorded, which represented 27 genera of 19 families, mainly Geomitridae and Helicidae. The rural habitat was the richest, with 23 species, while the mountain habitat yielded 20 species. The dune and forest habitats showed the smallest species richness.

Food preferences of the great ramshorn Planorbarius corneus (Linnaeus, 1758) allospecies (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Planorbidae) from the Ukrainian river system

The “western” and “eastern” allospecies of the superspecies complex Planorbarius corneus (Linnaeus, 1758) sensu lato includes the most widespread and abundant gastropods in the Ukrainian aquatic fauna. The range of the “western” allospecies includes the north and central parts of Right Bank Ukraine, while the range of the “eastern” allospecies comprises the north-eastern and eastern parts of Left Bank Ukraine, and the extreme south (as far as the Danube River) of the Ukrainian steppe zone. The food preferences of these snails were established for the first time. Such data may provide the basis for studying the role of both allospecies in the food webs of the river systems of Ukraine.

On the validity of the name Pseudamnicola subproductus Paladilhe, 1869 (Caenogastropoda, Hydrobiidae)

The validity of the name Amnicola subproducta Paladilhe has been controversial since the time of its publication. Several authors debated about whether to use this name instead of the original Amnicola spirata Paladilhe. Since the recent resumption of the debate seems poorly justified, literature research was done in order to clarify the validity of these names. An etymological analysis of the word Pseudamnicola is presented in order to ascertain the correct grammatical gender of the name.

Impact of a short-time exposure to different temperatures on wakening time of Vertigo antivertigo (Draparnaud, 1801) (Gastropoda: Eupulmonata: Vertiginidae)

I checked experimentally how a short-time exposure to different temperatures: 1 °C, 24 °C and 34 °C in a high humidity affects wakening time of Vertigo antivertigo (Draparnaud). The snails were exposed to experimental conditions for 48 hours (each snail in a separate test tube, provided with food and a source of calcium). After that time, all the individuals were transferred to room temperature (24 °C) for counting the time needed for wakening. The shortest wakening time was noted for snails kept at 1 °C, the longest – for snails kept at room temperature of 24 °C.

A new species of Solaropsis Beck, 1837 (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora: Solaropsidae) from the Brazilian Amazon

A specimen of Solaropsidae from the collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (Philadelphia, USA) was recognised as a potential new species based on shell morphology. With support from a multi-locus molecular phylogenetic analysis, a new species is described here: Solaropsis penthesileae sp. nov. It is native to the Amazon Rainforest in Pará state, northern Brazil, and it is closely related to S. nimbus (Simone). It differs in its more discoid shell, with a wider body whorl that bears a stronger median angulation in its lower spire. The specimen was collected in 1998 and is an example of the long shelf-life invertebrates may have in museum collections before they are identified and formally described. It is also a reminder of the importance of those collections for biodiversity studies.

Life histories of three Serrulinini species (Stylommatophora: Clausiliidae) from Georgia kept under laboratory conditions

The Serrulinini, a small relict group of clausiliids occurring in coastal regions of the Black and Caspian Seas and the Caucasus, are currently classified within the Phaedusinae, however paraphyletic origin of the Serrulinini is also widely debated with Pontophaedusa funiculum (Mousson) being most phylogenetically distinct from other taxa. As life history data may have taxonomical value, we conducted long-term observations in laboratory culture to assess reproductive modes, fecundity and growth pattern of three serruline species. Caspiophaedusa perlucens (O. Boettger) and Pravispira semilamellata (Mousson) produced partly calcified eggs with regular, spiral arrangement of crystals; their juveniles hatched after 17–18 days; the generation time was long and significantly exceeded one year. P. funiculum laid heavily calcified, elongated eggs. The incubation time in P. funiculum varied depending on the humidity, with a tendency towards short embryo-retention. The generation time in P. funiculum was one year. In all the studied species, egg calcification differed from the pattern common for other oviparous Phaedusinae which produce partly calcified eggs with homogeneous distribution of crystals. The calcite crystal distribution in the egg membranes reported here for the Serrulinini suggests some potential of these characters in phylogenetic context.