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3 <strong>Molluscs</strong><br />
Vertigo angustior<br />
Narrow-mouthed Whorl Snail<br />
Vertigo angustior<br />
Jeffreys, 1830<br />
Narrow-mouthed Whorl Snail<br />
Latin synonyms: Turbo vertigo Montagu, 1803; Vertigo<br />
venetzii Charpentier, 1822;<br />
Vertigo plicata A. Müller, 1838<br />
Taxonomic classification:<br />
Order: Terrestrial pulmonates, Stylommatophora<br />
Family: Vertigos, Vertiginidae<br />
Status: EN – Endangered<br />
Narrow-mouthed whorl snail (Vertigo angustior)<br />
M. Horsák<br />
Morphology Narrow-mouthed whorl snail is a tiny<br />
gastropod, the shell height not exceeding 1,8mm,<br />
the width 0,9mm. The shell is sinistral, with 5 rather<br />
strongly convex whorls, the last flattened laterally and<br />
narrowed basally giving a somewhat fusiform outline.<br />
Mouth-edge delicately thickened, sharply reflected;<br />
outer lip a deep central indentation, continued externally<br />
as a spiral groove and internally corresponding<br />
with a long lamella-like upper palathal tooth; mouth<br />
with 5–6 teeth. Shell pale redish or yellowish-brown,<br />
rather glossy, with numerous close and regular fine<br />
growth-ridges, especially on the erlier whorls.<br />
Bionomiy A calciphile species. It inhabits especially<br />
non-forested areas, basophilic, wet, even waterlogged<br />
valley meadows, wetland habitats and<br />
meadow springs with tufa formation, fens. It lives in<br />
grass, decaying vegetation in the layer of plant litter,<br />
or in moist moss. It creeps also on plant stalks up to<br />
the height of 10–15cm. Localities on water banks<br />
are also known. Sporadically it occurs also in rock<br />
debris with higher and stable moisture (Krupinské<br />
bralce rocks in the Štiavnické vrchy Mts.). In general,<br />
the narrow-mouthed whorl snail is considered an<br />
univoltine species. It feeds probably on detritus and<br />
decaying organic plant material, possibly on microorganisms<br />
present in the decaying process (micromycetes,<br />
algae, etc.)<br />
9