The Wrinkled Dune Snail (Xeroplexa intersecta previously Candidula intersecta) is an air-breathing pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the Geomitridae family of terrestrial (land) snails. It is an invertebrate, because it does not have a backbone. Its shell is its exo-skeleton (outside skeleton).
The Wrinkled Dune Snail is yellowish-beige with dark-brown and copper bands. The round, globular, coarse (not glossy) shell has a right-handed whorl, which is called a dextral shell. There are five whorls with a slightly raised central spire. Its shell aperture (opening) does not have a lip. The body is bluish-grey with long upper tentacles and short lower tentacles on ts head. Its head extends to form a snout (proboscis). Its eyes are at the tip of the tentacles.
It grows up to one centimetre (a quarter of an inch) long.
It is common across central and western Europe. It prefers dry grassy locations.
It is usually diurnal, active mainly during the day. In winter, it may hibernate, but it can become active again during warm days. It is herbivorous, feeding on decaying plant matter.
It is hermaphroditic, which means that it is both male and female. It lays about 30-50 eggs, which hatch after 15-20 days. The eggs are deposited in a leaf, usually in the rainy season.
Location of photographs: Paris, France
Photographer: Martina Nicolls
Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM