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← Freshwater Invertebrates
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Species explorer
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Freshwater Invertebrates
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Pond mud snail
Pond mud snail
Banded Demoiselle
Black Tailed Skimmer
Broad-bodied chaser
Brown Hawker
Common Blue Damselfly
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Pond mud snail, by Roy Anderson
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Pond mud snail
Omphiscola glabra
The pond mud snail is typically found in freshwater habitats which partially or completely dry out during summer months, particularly shallow pools that contain leaf litter and soft mud. During periods of drought they will bury down into the mud and become inactive, this ensures they have few competitors and as specialist are able to survive these harsh conditions. The snail has always been uncommon but have become increasingly rare, in the UK the snail is thought to have declined over the last 25 years by as much as 50%.
Conservation status
Although probably under recorded, it is a priority species for conservation, its stronghold is in the New Forest and West Country, very rare elsewhere. Known from only one area in East Anglia. Decline in the population is due to the temporary habitats favoured by the pond mud snail being lost or degraded through infilling. The situation is not helped by the mud snail’s lack of mobility, being unable to move between or to new areas when their habitat is lost.
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Details
Did you know?
Pond mud snails are able to fill their pallial cavity with water and can acquire oxygen from it, despite being pulmonate (lung breathing). This helps them survive longer without a steady source of water.
How to recognise
Between 12-20 mm in height, dark brown with a spire that has slightly flattened whorls, but with a blunt tip. It has no operculum. Can be found among leaf litter or under roots of trees, often the only aquatic gastropod present in the pond.
Where to see
In Norfolk it is only known from one area, the Norfolk Wildlife Trust reserve at
Thompson Common
and the neighbouring Stow Bedon Common. Try and look around muddy edges of shallow shaded pools that are likely to dry out during the late summer months
When to see
In February pond mud snails lay egg masses of 10-30 eggs, which take up to 25 days to hatch. Late autumn is when numbers are high and the ephemeral ponds refill with water.
Find out more
To find out more about this elusive snail follow these links:
Bugllife
Freshwater Habitats
How to help
By joining conservation bodies you can add your support to ensure a diversity of habitats are maintained, although this species has particular requirements NWT volunteer groups work on conservation projects throughout the county.
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