The True Glass Snail (Aegopinella nitidula) is a small, air-breathing, land pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the Gastrodontidae family of glass snails. It is an invertebrate, because it does not have a backbone. Its shell is its exo-skeleton (outside skeleton).
The True Glass Snail has a spiral, heliciform shell that is flattened and disc-shaped with a low spire, like it is a bit squashed. The opening lacks a thick margin like other land snails have. Instead, its shell is thin and light. The shell is almost transparent, as if made of glass, but it usually has light-brown, amber, or dark-brown markings.
It measures about 3 centimetres (one inch) in length.
It is found in the Mediterranean and Europe. It lives in damp places under stones, rocks, and logs. It is more active in rainy weather. It is usually nocturnal, active mainly at night.
The True Glass Snail is carnivorus, feeding on other snails, earthworms, and decaying plant matter.
It is hermaphroditic, which means that it is both male and female. It lays about 40-65 eggs, which hatch after 10-28 days. The eggs are deposited in a leaf, and usually in the rainy season.
The True Glass Snail lives for about 5 years.
Location: Paris, France
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM