Wednesday, January 3, 2007

Cepaea hortensis


The white-lipped snail (Cepaea hortensis) is a very close relative of the grove snail.
It is very slightly smaller than the grove snail, but shares the same variation in shell colour and banding.
The principal distinguishing feature is a white band at the lip of the shell, although this is not reliable for accurate identification. The two species can mate and reproduce, and share the same habitats, although the range of the white-lipped snail extends closer to the Arctic in Northern Europe.

No comments: