Ramshorn Snails
Scientific name: Biomphalaria glabrata for the most common
Super-family: Lymnaeoidea
Family: Planorbidae
Sub-family: Planorbinae
Genera: Bulinus and Planorbis
Origin: all tropical and temperate regions of the globe
Size: 2 to 3 cm
Breathing: aerial, through lungs
Temperature: from 10 to 32°C
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The position of the mouth shows this snail is mainly an algae eater. |
Superb picture taken in an aquarium. |
The juvenile body is visible through the translucid shell. (2mm) |
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| Egs on the front glass. (5mm) | The operculum. |
Utility: major algae eater
Particularity: ramshorn shaped shell, which has earned them the name of "Ramshorn Snails"
These guests of our aquaria lay their eggs as a jello like mount, generally on the aquarium glass but plants also seem to be a choice for egg-laying.
In their natural habitat, they have a preference for slow moving rivers or dormant water marshes. Among some twenty species known in Central Europe, Biomphalaria Glabrata has a shell size that varies from 2 to 3 cm.
Planorbarius and its eggs
Return to the Page "Mollusca Endemic to Europe"