Tuesday 21 May
In the News: First crane egg in the western UK in four centuries
Shining ram's-horn snail (Segmentina nitida)
What’s the World’s Favourite Species?
Find out here.Shining ram's-horn snail fact file
- Description
- Biology
- Range
- Habitat
- Status
- Threats
- Conservation
- Find out more
- Glossary
- References
- Print factsheet
Shining ram's-horn snail description
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Mollusca |
| Class | Gastropoda |
| Order | Lymnophila |
| Family | Planorbidae |
| Genus | Segmentina (1) |
The shining ram's-horn snail has a smooth, glossy and iridescent shell (4), measuring up to 6mm across (2), with no more than 5 whorls. The outermost whorl (body whorl) is expanded and overlaps most of the others (4), with a heart shaped aperture(4).
More »
Top
Related species
Shining ram's-horn snail biology
Little is known of the biology of this species.
TopShining ram's-horn snail range
This snail is found throughout Europe, reaching as far north as Scandinavia. In the UK it has undergone a severe decline and is now restricted to the Norfolk Broads, parts of the Kentish Stour marshes (5), and Pevensey Levels after formerly being fairly widespread throughout much of England and known from around 90 sites (3).
More »
Species with a similar range
|
You can view distribution information for this species at the National Biodiversity Network Gateway. |
Shining ram's-horn snail habitat
Inhabits ponds and drains of grazing marshes with unpolluted, often calcareous water, preferentially choked with a rich aquatic flora in an advanced stage of plant succession(5).
More »
Top
Species found in a similar habitat
Shining ram's-horn snail status
Listed as Endangered on the GB Red List (RDB1) (3).
TopShining ram's-horn snail threats
Although the precise causes of the decline of this species are not understood, the main threats are likely to be eutrophication resulting from fertiliser run-off, ditch clearance, and conversion of grazing land to arable, and the resulting reduction in the water table (3).
TopShining ram's-horn snail conservation
The Species Action Plan produced under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) for the shining ram's-horn snail aims to promote the increase and expansion of existing populations and promote research into the ecology of the species (3).
|
The UK Biodiversity Action Plan for this species is available at UK BAP. |
|
View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. |
|
|
There may be further information about this species available via the National Biodiversity Network Gateway. |
Authentication
Information authenticated by Shelagh Wilson of the Environment Agency.
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/
Glossary
- Aperture
- Opening in the end or area of a mollusc shell out of which soft, internal body parts may emerge.
- Calcareous
- Containing free calcium carbonate, chalky.
- Eutrophication
- Nutrient enrichment of aquatic or terrestrial ecosystems.
- Succession
- The progressive sequence of changes in vegetation types and animal life within a community that, if allowed to continue, result in the formation of a 'climax community' (the last stage in a succession where the vegetation reaches equilibrium with the environment).
- Whorls
- In animals, the spiral or convolutions in the shell of a snail. In plants, a set of leaves, flowers, or branches that spring from a stem at the same point and encircle it.
References
- University of Michigan. Animal Diversity Web. (January 2002): http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/mollusca/gastropoda/lymnophila.html
- Wilson, S. (2002) Pers. Comm.
- UK BAP (January 2002): http://www.ukbap.org.uk
- The Environment Agency. (1998) Species Awareness leaflet: Snails. The Environment Agency, Bristol.
- A survey of the East Kent grazing marshes for the freshwater snail Segmentina nitida English Nature Research Report number 356, 2000.
More »Related species
Sign up to our newsletter
Get the latest wild news direct to your inbox.
Get involved
ARKive relies on its media donors to donate photos and videos. Can you help? There are plenty of other ways you can get involved too!
X
Close
Close
Image credit
X
Close
Close
Link to this photo
Embed this ARKive thumbnail link by copying and pasting the code below.
Terms of Use - The displayed thumbnail may be used as a link from your website to ARKive's online content for private, scientific, conservation or educational purposes only. It may NOT be used within Apps.
Read more about
X
Close
Close
MyARKive
MyARKive offers the scrapbook feature to signed-up members, allowing you to organize your favourite ARKive images and videos and share them with friends.
X
Close
Close
Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials
Copyright in this website and materials contained on this website (Material) belongs to Wildscreen or its licensors.
Visitors to this website (End Users) are entitled to:
- view the contents of, and Material on, the website;
- download and retain copies of the Material on their personal systems in digital form in low resolution for their own personal use;
- teachers, lecturers and students may incorporate the Material in their educational material (including, but not limited to, their lesson plans, presentations, worksheets and projects) in hard copy and digital format for use within a registered educational establishment, provided that the integrity of the Material is maintained and that copyright ownership and authorship is appropriately acknowledged by the End User.
End Users shall not copy or otherwise extract, alter or manipulate Material other than as permitted in these Terms and Conditions of Use of Materials.
Additional use of flagged material
Green flagged material 
Certain Material on this website (Licence 4 Material) displays a green flag next to the Material and is available for not-for-profit conservation or educational use. This material may be used by End Users, who are individuals or organisations that are in our opinion not-for-profit, for their not-for-profit conservation or not-for-profit educational purposes. Low resolution, watermarked images may be copied from this website by such End Users for such purposes. If you require high resolution or non-watermarked versions of the Material, please contact Wildscreen with details of your proposed use.
Creative commons material
Certain Material on this website has been licensed to Wildscreen under a Creative Commons Licence. These images are clearly marked with the Creative Commons buttons and may be used by End Users only in the way allowed by the specific Creative Commons Licence under which they have been submitted. Please see http://creativecommons.org for details.
Any other use
Please contact the copyright owners directly (copyright and contact details are shown for each media item) to negotiate terms and conditions for any use of Material other than those expressly permitted above. Please note that many of the contributors to ARKive are commercial operators and may request a fee for such use.
Save as permitted above, no person or organisation is permitted to incorporate any copyright material from this website into any other work or publication in any format (this includes but is not limited to: websites, Apps, CDs, DVDs, intranets, extranets, signage, digital communications or on printed materials for external or other distribution). Use of the Material for promotional, administrative or for-profit purposes is not permitted.