Helicella itala

The Heath snail, scientifically known as Helicella itala, is a medium-sized, air-breathing land snail belonging to the Geomitridae family. These snails are found across various parts of the Western Palearctic region, including the British Isles, France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Poland.

One fascinating aspect of the Heath snail is its unique life cycle. The eggs are tiny, approximately 1.5 mm in size. During mating, Heath snails employ love darts—an intriguing phenomenon!

Regarding appearance, the Heath snail's shell is quite distinctive. It is broad and notably flat, ranging from 12 to 20 mm in size. The shell coils into a low, convex spire, and the umbilicus (the central hollow part) is quite wide. The whorls of the shell are slightly convex with shallow sutures, giving it a smooth appearance. The shell opening is elliptical and lacks an internal rib. In terms of color, the shell is usually white or pale yellow-brown with dark brown or yellow-brown spiral bands, and it exhibits fine, irregular growth ridges on the surface.

These snails are commonly found in dry, exposed areas such as roadsides, railway embankments, vegetated sand dunes, rocky boulders, and short grasslands. They can live at elevations up to 2000 meters, particularly in mountainous regions such as the Alps and Pyrenees.