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Helix pomatia

From Wikipedia, in a visual modern way
Helix pomatia
Helix pomatia 89a.jpg
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Order: Stylommatophora
Family: Helicidae
Subfamily: Helicinae
Tribe: Helicinini
Genus: Helix
Species:
H. pomatia
Binomial name
Helix pomatia
Synonyms

see text

Helix pomatia, common names the Roman snail, Burgundy snail, or escargot, is a species of large, edible, air-breathing land snail, a pulmonate gastropod terrestrial mollusc in the family Helicidae.[3] It is one of Europe's biggest species of land snail.

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Common name

Common name

In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism, which is Latinized. A common name is sometimes frequently used, but that is not always the case.

Burgundy

Burgundy

Burgundy is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The capital of Dijon was one of the great European centres of art and science, a place of tremendous wealth and power, and Western Monasticism. In early Modern Europe, Burgundy was a focal point of courtly culture that set the fashion for European royal houses and their court. The Duchy of Burgundy was a key in the transformation of the Middle Ages toward early modern Europe.

Escargot

Escargot

Snails are considered edible in certain areas such as the Mediterranean region, Africa, or Southeast Asia, while in other cultures it is considered as taboo food. In American English, edible land snails are also called escargot, taken from the French word for 'snail', and the production of snails for consumption is called snail farming or heliciculture. Snails as food date back to ancient times, and it was a dish that was already served on the tables of Ancient Greece and Rome.

Species

Species

In biology, a species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. Other ways of defining species include their karyotype, DNA sequence, morphology, behaviour, or ecological niche. In addition, paleontologists use the concept of the chronospecies since fossil reproduction cannot be examined.

Land snail

Land snail

A land snail is any of the numerous species of snail that live on land, as opposed to the sea snails and freshwater snails. Land snail is the common name for terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have shells. However, it is not always easy to say which species are terrestrial, because some are more or less amphibious between land and fresh water, and others are relatively amphibious between land and salt water.

Terrestrial mollusc

Terrestrial mollusc

Terrestrial molluscs or land molluscs (mollusks) are an ecological group that includes all molluscs that live on land in contrast to freshwater and marine molluscs. They probably first occurred in the Carboniferous, arising from freshwater ones.

Helicidae

Helicidae

Helicidae is a large, diverse family of small to large, air-breathing land snails, sometimes called the "typical snails."

Europe

Europe

Europe is a continent comprising the westernmost peninsulas of Eurasia, located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with both Africa and Asia. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east. Europe is commonly considered to be separated from Asia by the watershed of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Greater Caucasus, the Black Sea and the waterways of the Turkish Straits.

Distribution

Distribution map of H. pomatia showing the European countries where the species is present
Distribution map of H. pomatia showing the European countries where the species is present
In Odenwald, Germany
In Odenwald, Germany
Helix pomatia, light micrograph of an eye; 1 anterior chamber, 2 lens, 3 retina, 4 optic nerve
Helix pomatia, light micrograph of an eye; 1 anterior chamber, 2 lens, 3 retina, 4 optic nerve

Distribution of H. pomatia includes:

Southeastern and Central Europe:[4]

Western Europe:

Northern Europe:

  • Denmark – Listed as a protected species.[8]
  • Southern Sweden[4]
  • Norway[4]
  • Finland[4]
  • In central and southern parts of Sweden, Norway and Finland, isolated and relatively small populations occur. It is not native to these countries, but is likely to have been imported by monks from Southern Europe during medieval times.
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Estonia[4]

Eastern Europe:

Southern Europe:

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Central Europe

Central Europe

Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common geography, historical, social and cultural identity. The concept of "Central Europe" appeared in the 19th century.

List of non-marine molluscs of Germany

List of non-marine molluscs of Germany

This list of non-marine molluscs of Germany is a list of the molluscs that live in Germany, excluding the marine (saltwater) species. In other words, it includes the land snails and slugs, the freshwater snails and the freshwater clams and mussels.

Bundesartenschutzverordnung

Bundesartenschutzverordnung

The Federal Species Protection Regulations, first adopted on 19 December 1986, is a set of federal regulations in Germany. These regulations protect wild plants and animals. They are the implementing rules promulgated by the government to give force to the Federal Nature Conservation Act which passed on 1 January 1977. With the passage of new legislation, it became necessary to update the regulations. The current version of these laws dates from 16 February 2005. Annex 1 of these regulations lists the protected plants and animals. The protected species should not be confused with the Red Lists of animal and plant species in danger of extinction.

List of non-marine molluscs of Austria

List of non-marine molluscs of Austria

The non-marine molluscs of Austria are a part of the fauna of Austria. Austria is land-locked and therefore it has no marine molluscs, only land and freshwater species. This list is based on the current Red List of Austrian molluscs.

European Commission

European Commission

The European Commission (EC) is part of the executive of the European Union (EU), together with the European Council. It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission headed by a President. It includes an administrative body of about 32,000 European civil servants. The Commission is divided into departments known as Directorates-General (DGs) that can be likened to departments or ministries each headed by a Director-General who is responsible to a Commissioner.

List of non-marine molluscs of Poland

List of non-marine molluscs of Poland

There are approximately 265 species of non-marine molluscs living in the wild in Poland.

List of non-marine molluscs of Slovakia

List of non-marine molluscs of Slovakia

Slovakia is a land-locked country, and therefore the molluscs of Slovakia are all land and freshwater species. There are 247 species of molluscs living in the wild in Slovakia. In addition there are 9 gastropod species living only in greenhouses.

Hungary

Hungary

Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning 93,030 square kilometres (35,920 sq mi) of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and Slovenia to the southwest, and Austria to the west. Hungary has a population of 9.7 million, mostly ethnic Hungarians and a significant Romani minority. Hungarian, the official language, is the world's most widely spoken Uralic language and among the few non-Indo-European languages widely spoken in Europe. Budapest is the country's capital and largest city; other major urban areas include Debrecen, Szeged, Miskolc, Pécs, and Győr.

List of non-marine molluscs of Bulgaria

List of non-marine molluscs of Bulgaria

There are numerous species of molluscs living in the wild in Bulgaria. This list covers only the non-marine species.

Balkans

Balkans

The Balkans, also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the whole of Bulgaria. The Balkan Peninsula is bordered by the Adriatic Sea in the northwest, the Ionian Sea in the southwest, the Aegean Sea in the south, the Turkish straits in the east, and the Black Sea in the northeast. The northern border of the peninsula is variously defined. The highest point of the Balkans is Musala, 2,925 metres (9,596 ft), in the Rila mountain range, Bulgaria.

Croatia

Croatia

Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe. Its coast lies entirely on the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Italy to the west and southwest. Its capital and largest city, Zagreb, forms one of the country's primary subdivisions, with twenty counties. The country spans 56,594 square kilometres, and has a population of nearly 3.9 million.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina, abbreviated BiH (БиХ) or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeastern Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and Herzegovina borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to the north and southwest. In the south it has a narrow coast on the Adriatic Sea within the Mediterranean, which is about 20 kilometres long and surrounds the town of Neum. Bosnia, which is the inland region of the country, has a moderate continental climate with hot summers and cold, snowy winters. In the central and eastern regions of the country, the geography is mountainous, in the northwest it is moderately hilly, and in the northeast it is predominantly flat. Herzegovina, which is the smaller, southern region of the country, has a Mediterranean climate and is mostly mountainous. Sarajevo is the capital and the largest city of the country followed by Banja Luka, Tuzla and Zenica.

Description

View of a shell of Helix pomatia
View of a shell of Helix pomatia

The shell is creamy white to light brownish, often with indistinct brown colour bands.[4] The shell has five to six whorls.[4] The aperture is large.[4] The apertural margin is white and slightly reflected in adult snails.[4] The umbilicus is narrow and partly covered by the reflected columellar margin.[4]

The width of the shell is 30–50 millimetres (1.2–2.0 inches).[4] The height of the shell is 30–45 mm (1.2–1.8 in).[4]

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Gastropod shell

Gastropod shell

The gastropod shell is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, a kind of mollusc. The shell is an exoskeleton, which protects from predators, mechanical damage, and dehydration, but also serves for muscle attachment and calcium storage. Some gastropods appear shell-less (slugs) but may have a remnant within the mantle, or in some cases the shell is reduced such that the body cannot be retracted within it (semi-slug). Some snails also possess an operculum that seals the opening of the shell, known as the aperture, which provides further protection. The study of mollusc shells is known as conchology. The biological study of gastropods, and other molluscs in general, is malacology. Shell morphology terms vary by species group.

Whorl (mollusc)

Whorl (mollusc)

A whorl is a single, complete 360° revolution or turn in the spiral or whorled growth of a mollusc shell. A spiral configuration of the shell is found in numerous gastropods, but it is also found in shelled cephalopods including Nautilus, Spirula and the large extinct subclass of cephalopods known as the ammonites.

Aperture (mollusc)

Aperture (mollusc)

The aperture is an opening in certain kinds of mollusc shells: it is the main opening of the shell, where the head-foot part of the body of the animal emerges for locomotion, feeding, etc.

Umbilicus (mollusc)

Umbilicus (mollusc)

The umbilicus of a shell is the axially aligned, hollow cone-shaped space within the whorls of a coiled mollusc shell. The term umbilicus is often used in descriptions of gastropod shells, i.e. it is a feature present on the ventral side of many snail shells, including some species of sea snails, land snails, and freshwater snails.

Ecology

Habitat

In southeastern Europe, H. pomatia lives in forests, open habitats, gardens, and vineyards, especially along rivers, confined to calcareous substrate.[4] In Central Europe, it occurs in open forests and shrubland on calcareous substrate.[4] It prefers high humidity and lower temperatures, and needs loose soil for burrowing to hibernate and lay its eggs.[4] It lives up to 2100 m above sea level in the Alps, but usually below 2000 m.[4] In the south of England, it is restricted to undisturbed grassy or bushy wastelands, usually not in gardens; it has a low reproduction rate and low powers of dispersal.[4]

Lifecycle

Average distance of migration reaches 3.5–6.0 m.[4]

Helix pomatia (the larger snail) laying eggs
Helix pomatia (the larger snail) laying eggs
A picture about an H. pomatia juvenile, about 2-3 years old
A picture about an H. pomatia juvenile, about 2-3 years old

This snail is hermaphroditic. Reproduction in Central Europe begins at the end of May.[4]

  • Reproduction
  • Reproductive system of H. pomatia

    Reproductive system of H. pomatia

  • A pair of H. pomatia in courtship, shortly before mating

    A pair of H. pomatia in courtship, shortly before mating

  • Drawing of head of mating H. pomatia with everted penis and dart sac shooting a love dart

    Drawing of head of mating H. pomatia with everted penis and dart sac shooting a love dart

  • Drawing of H. pomatia laying eggs

    Drawing of H. pomatia laying eggs

Eggs are laid in June and July, in clutches of 40–65 eggs.[4] The size of the egg is 5.5–6.5 mm[4] or 8.6 × 7.2 mm.[10] Juveniles hatch after three to four weeks, and may consume their siblings under unfavourable climate conditions.[4] Maturity is reached after two to five years.[4] The life span is up to 20 years, but snails die faster often because of drying in summer and freezing in winter.[4] Ten-year-old individuals are probably not uncommon in natural populations.[4] The maximum lifespan is 35 years.[4]

During estivation or hibernation, H. pomatia is one of the few species that is capable of creating a calcareous epiphragm to seal the opening of its shell.

  • Hibernation
  • Drawing of H. pomatia during hibernation

    Drawing of H. pomatia during hibernation

  • Photo of the shell with an epiphragm

    Photo of the shell with an epiphragm

  • Epiphragm of H. pomatia

    Epiphragm of H. pomatia

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Hermaphrodite

Hermaphrodite

In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes.

Reproductive system of gastropods

Reproductive system of gastropods

The reproductive system of gastropods varies greatly from one group to another within this very large and diverse taxonomic class of animals. Their reproductive strategies also vary greatly, see Mating of gastropods.

Love dart

Love dart

A love dart is a sharp, calcareous or chitinous dart which some hermaphroditic land snails and slugs create. Love darts are both formed and stored internally in a dart sac. These darts are made in sexually mature animals only, and are used as part of the sequence of events during courtship, before actual mating takes place. Darts are quite large compared to the size of the animal: in the case of the semi-slug genus Parmarion, the length of a dart can be up to one fifth that of the semi-slug's foot.

Hibernation

Hibernation

Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It most commonly occurs during winter months.

Calcareous

Calcareous

Calcareous is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines.

Epiphragm

Epiphragm

An epiphragm is a temporary structure which can be created by many species of shelled, air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks. It can also be created by freshwater snails when temporary pools dry up.

Conservation

This species is listed in IUCN Red List, and in European Red List of Non-marine Molluscs as of least concern.[11][12] H. pomatia is threatened by continuous habitat destructions and drainage, usually less threatened by commercial collections.[4] Many unsuccessful attempts have been made to establish the species in various parts of England, Scotland, and Ireland; it only survived in natural habitats in southern England, and is threatened by intensive farming and habitat destruction.[4] It is of lower concern in Switzerland and Austria, but many regions restrict commercial collecting.[4]

Cultivation

In Japan, the Mie Escargot Farm succeeded in the complete cultivation of Burgundy species (Pomatia).[13]

Uses

The intestinal juice of H. pomatia contains large amounts of aryl, steroid, and glucosinolate sulfatase activities. These sulfatases have a broad specificity, so are commonly used as a hydrolyzing agent in analytical procedures such as chromatography to prepare the sample for analysis.[14]

Culinary use and history

Cooked snails are called escargots.
Cooked snails are called escargots.

Roman snails were eaten by both Ancient Greeks and Romans.[15]

Nowadays, these snails are especially popular in French cuisine. In the English language, it is called by the French name escargot when used in cooking (escargot simply means snail).

Although this species is highly prized as a food, it is difficult to cultivate and rarely farmed commercially.[16]

Synonyms

  • Helicogena inflata Hartmann, 1844 (junior synonym)
  • Helicogena pomatia (Linnaeus, 1758) (chresonym)
  • Helicogena pomatia brenaensis W. Blume, 1920 (junior synonym)
  • Helicogena pomatia burmeisteri W. Blume, 1920 (junior synonym)
  • Helicogena pomatia var. gesneri Hartmann, 1844 (junior synonym)
  • Helicogena pomatia var. rustica Hartmann, 1844 (junior synonym)
  • Helicogena pomatia var. sphaeralis Hartmann, 1844 (junior synonym)
  • Helix (Helix) pomatia Linnaeus, 1758· accepted, alternate representation
  • Helix eusarcosoma Servain, 1884 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomaria O. F. Müller, 1774 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia albida Moquin-Tandon, 1855 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia brunnea Moquin-Tandon, 1855 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia expansilabris Kobelt, 1906 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia parva Moquin-Tandon, 1855 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia quinquefasciata Moquin-Tandon, 1855 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia var. banatica Kimakowicz, 1890 (invalid; not Rossmässler, 1838)
  • Helix pomatia var. christinae Kobelt, 1906 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia var. claudiensis Kobelt, 1906 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia var. compacta Hazay, 1880 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia var. costellata Kobelt, 1906 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia var. dobrudschae Kobelt, 1906 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia var. elsae Kobelt, 1906 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia var. gratiosa Gredler, 1892 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia var. hajnaldiana Hazay, 1880 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia var. kapellae Kobelt, 1906 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia var. lagarinae Adami, 1885 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia var. lednicensis Brancsik, 1888 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia var. luteola Kobelt, 1906 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia var. pannonica Kobelt, 1906 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia var. pedemontana Kobelt, 1907 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia var. piceata Gredler, 1890 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia var. pulskyana Hazay, 1880 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia var. radiata Ulicny, 1885 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia var. rhodopensis Kobelt, 1906 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia var. sabulosa Hazay, 1880 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia var. serbica Kobelt, 1906 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia var. solitaria Hazay, 1880 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia var. thessalica O. Boettger, 1886 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pomatia var. transsylvanica Kobelt, 1906 (junior synonym)
  • Helix promaeca Bourguignat, 1882 (junior synonym)
  • Helix pyrgia Bourguignat, 1882 (junior synonym)
  • Helix scalaris O. F. Müller, 1774 (junior synonym)
  • Helix segalaunica Sayn, 1888 (junior synonym)

Source: "Helix pomatia", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2022, December 30th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helix_pomatia.

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Further Reading

Helix (gastropod)

Cornu aspersum

Epiphragm

Helicidae

Helix lucorum

List of non-marine molluscs of Slovakia

Land snail

List of non-marine molluscs of Bulgaria

Cernuella virgata

List of non-marine molluscs of Great Britain

Pupilla muscorum

List of non-marine molluscs of Ireland

List of non-marine molluscs of Georgia

List of non-marine molluscs of Israel

List of non-marine molluscs of Austria

Nerita undata

Thylacodes arenarius

List of non-marine molluscs of Iran
References

This article incorporates public domain text from the reference.[4]

  1. ^ IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
  2. ^ Linnaeus C. (1758). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I. Editio decima, reformata. pp. [1–4], 1–824. Holmiae. (Salvius).
  3. ^ MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Helix pomatia Linnaeus, 1758. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1050286 on 2021-02-19
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao "Species summary for Helix pomatia". AnimalBase, last modified 5 March 2009, accessed 6 September 2010.
  5. ^ (in Czech) Dušek J., Hošek M. & Kolářová J. (2007). "Hodnotící zpráva o stavu z hlediska ochrany evropsky významných druhů a typů přírodních stanovišť v České republice za rok 2004–2006". Ochrana přírody 62(5): appendix 5:I-IV.
  6. ^ "Protection for wild animals on Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981".
  7. ^ "Helix pomatia". Stichting Anemoon, accessed 6 September 2010.
  8. ^ " Vinbjergsnegl.". Danish Ministry of the Environment and Food, Environmental Protection Agency, Retrieved September 2017.
  9. ^ Balashov I. & Gural-Sverlova N. 2012. An annotated checklist of the terrestrial molluscs of Ukraine. Journal of Conchology. 41 (1): 91-109.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ Neubert, E. "Helix pomatia". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (ver. 2011.2). IUCNRedList.org. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  12. ^ Cuttelod, A.; Seddon, M.; Neubert, E. "European Red List of Non-marine Molluscs" (PDF). European Commission.
  13. ^ "Japanese Farmer Breeding Rare Escargot de Burgogne Snails". 25 May 2016.
  14. ^ Roy, Alexander B (1987). Methods in Enzymology, Volume 143, Sulfatases from Helix pomatia. Academic Press. pp. 361–366. ISBN 9780121820435.
  15. ^ Buono, Giuseppe Del (2015-02-24). "The roman snail". Wall Street International. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  16. ^ "Snail Cultivation (Heliciculture)". The Living World of Molluscs. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
Further reading
  • Blume, W. (1920). Einige mazedonische Schnecken. Archiv für Molluskenkunde, 52 (2): 89-92. Frankfurt am Main.
  • Egorov R. (2015). "Helix pomatia Linnaeus, 1758: the history of its introduction and recent distribution in European Russia". Malacologica Bohemoslovaca 14: 91–101. PDF
  • (in Russian) Roumyantseva E. G. & Dedkov V. P. (2006). "Reproductive properties of the Roman snail Helix pomatia L. in the Kaliningrad Region, Russia". Ruthenica 15: 131–138. abstract
  • Bank, R. A.; Neubert, E. (2017). Checklist of the land and freshwater Gastropoda of Europe. Last update: July 16, 2017.
External links
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