Small snail ID help, please.

Monkey Orchid · #1 (**permalink**) 09-04-2010, 07:22 AM

Photographed the tiny snail below on a chalk downland nature reserve near Goring. I've had a look at a couple of internet mollusc identification keys but I'm not at all sure... Any help appreciated.

Fauna · #2 (**permalink**) 09-04-2010, 08:29 PM

Not 100% on this, but i can't see what else it can be?

You will need to have a good look inside the mouth to be sure, if there's about seven teeth showing then this will be Abida secale? they are supposed to be restricted to rocky limestone areas.

Monkey Orchid · #3 (**permalink**) 14-04-2010, 06:24 PM

Thanks, Fauna.

I didn't get a good look at the 'teeth' inside the shell aperture... The snail's body was pretty much blocking the view!

Abida secale is looking like a good ID. According to various sources, they're found in calcareous grassland as well as rocky limestone areas: one English Nature description I read for a downland site in Wiltshire was that Abida secale is "a scarce mollusc of the chalk". Rather poetic...