List of non-marine molluscs of Ireland explained

This list of the non-marine molluscs of Ireland comprises 169 species of non-marine molluscs that have been recorded as part of the fauna of Ireland. Ireland is an island in the northeastern Atlantic. It consists of the Republic of Ireland, also known simply as Ireland (or in the Irish language Éire), and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom.

Included in the list are terrestrial gastropods (land snails and slugs) and freshwater and brackish water gastropods and bivalves (mussels and clams). Molluscs that are fully adapted to live in the sea are not included here, except for one marine pulmonate snail that breathes air. Some species of gastropods listed (e.g. Peringia ulvae) live in habitats that are intermediate between freshwater and saltwater. Others live in habitats that are intermediate between land and saltwater. Both of these kinds of species are often also included in marine faunal lists.In addition to the species that live naturally outdoors in Ireland, there are at least 2 aquatic gastropod species which live only in artificially-heated indoor environments such as aquaria in greenhouses. These are known as "hothouse aliens", and in this list they are not counted as part of the total fauna.

The mollusc fauna of the island of Ireland has not been as thoroughly researched as that of the island of Great Britain, and therefore it is possible that some uncommon and local species (whether native or introduced) may, as yet, have been overlooked. Even so, it seems that the non-marine molluscan fauna of Ireland is a smaller fauna than that of Great Britain. [1]

The following table shows a summary of species numbers. It is not always easy to define which species are aquatic and which are terrestrial, as some species such as Galba truncatula are virtually amphibious. It also can be difficult to determine which species are introduced, as some introductions are quite ancient, for example from the Paleolithic. Those species that do not have a shell usually do not leave an archaeological or fossil record, and therefore it is especially difficult to determine whether they are native or introduced.

Non-marine molluscs of Ireland
Land gastropods105
Aquatic gastropods42
Gastropod total:147
Freshwater bivalves22
Mollusc total:169
Introduced non-marine gastropods in natural habitats:c. 32
Introduced bivalves in natural habitats:3
Total introduced molluscs in natural habitats:c. 35
Gastropods living as "hothouse aliens"2
Bivalves living as "hothouse aliens"0

Conservation

Species protected by EU Habitats Directive include: Geomalacus maculosus (annex II and IV), Vertigo angustior, Vertigo geyeri, Vertigo moulinsiana (annex II) and Margaritifera margaritifera (annex II and V).

Two species have been protected by the Wildlife Act of 1976 since 1990: Geomalacus maculosus and Margaritifera margaritifera. They were added by regulation SI 112/1990.[2]

A recent regional red list has been published of the non-marine molluscs of Ireland by Byrne et al. (2009).[3] In this publication, the threat status of 150 native species was evaluated using IUCN regional guidelines.[4] Of these species, two are considered to be regionally extinct, five critically endangered, fourteen endangered, twenty-six vulnerable, six near threatened, and the rest of least concern, or data deficient. This publication has sparked some media discussion about molluscan conservation in Ireland, including articles written in the Irish Times.[5] [6]

Regional Red List of Irish non-marine molluscs

The following species have been assigned threat categories or were considered regionally extinct on the island of Ireland in 2009:[3]

Regionally extinct (RE)Helicigona lapicida (Linnaeus, 1758); Omphiscola glabra (O.F. Müller, 1774) – listed as extinct in the red list, but rediscovered in 2009.

Critically Endangered (CR)Pisidium conventus Clessin, 1877Pomatias elegans (O.F. Müller, 1774)Margaritifera margaritifera (Linnaeus, 1758)Truncatella subcylindrica (Linnaeus, 1767)Margaritifera durrovensis Philips, 1928

Endangered (EN)Gyraulus laevis (Alder, 1838)Pisidium pulchellum Jenyns, 1832Hydrobia acuta neglecta (Muus, 1963)Pupilla muscorum (Linnaeus, 1758)Mercuria cf. similis (Draparnaud, 1805)Quickella arenaria (Potiez & Michaud, 1835)Merdigera obscura (O.F. Müller, 1774)Spermodea lamellata (Jeffreys, 1830)Myxas glutinosa (O.F. Müller, 1774)Succinella oblonga Draparnaud, 1801Pisidium moitessierianum Paladilhe, 1866Vertigo moulinsiana (Dupuy, 1849)Pisidium pseudosphaerium Schlesch, 1947Vertigo pusilla O.F. Müller, 1774

Vulnerable (VU)Acicula fusca (Montagu, 1803)Pisidium lilljeborgii Clessin, 1866Anisus vortex (Linnaeus, 1758)Radix auricularia (Linnaeus, 1758)Anodonta anatina (Linnaeus, 1758)Sphaerium nucleus (Studer, 1820)Anodonta cygnea (Linnaeus, 1758)Tandonia rustica (Millet, 1843)Aplexa hypnorum (Linnaeus, 1758)Testacella haliotidea Draparnaud, 1801Arianta arbustorum (Linnaeus, 1758)Vallonia pulchella (O.F. Müller, 1774)Balea perversa (Linnaeus, 1758)Ventrosia ventrosa (Montagu, 1803)Cecilioides acicula (O.F. Müller, 1774)Vertigo angustior Jeffreys, 1830Cochlodina laminata (Montagu, 1803)Vertigo antivertigo (Draparnaud, 1801)Helicella itala (Linnaeus, 1758)Vertigo geyeri Lindholm, 1925Leiostyla anglica (A. Férussac, 1821)Vertigo lilljeborgi (Westerlund, 1871)Limax cinereoniger Wolf, 1803Zenobiella subrufescens (J.S. Miller, 1822)Musculium lacustre (O.F. Müller, 1774)Zonitoides excavatus (Alder, 1830)

Systematic list

The list is arranged by biological affinity, rather than being alphabetical by family.

A number of species are listed with subspecies, in cases where there are well-recognized subspecies in different parts of Europe. For some species a synonym is given, where the species may perhaps be better known under another name.

An attempt has been made to label the families as aquatic, terrestrial or intermediate, and an indication is given where it is thought that the species is introduced. Species are considered to be native, unless otherwise indicated; that information is mostly taken from Kerney,[7] and Rowson et al.[8] The status and taxonomy of freshwater gastropods has been updated according to Rowson et al. (2021).[9]

Gastropoda

Neritidae – aquatic (also tolerates brackish water)
Aciculidae – terrestrial
Viviparidae (river snails) – aquatic
Assimineidae – terrestrial (intermediate marine)
Truncatellidae – terrestrial (intermediate marine)
Bithyniidae – aquatic
Potamopyrgidae – aquatic
Hydrobiidae – aquatic (some are arguably marine)
Valvatidae (valve snails) – aquatic
Pomatiidae (land winkles) – terrestrial

The following gastropods are pulmonates:

Ellobiidae (hollow-shelled snails) – terrestrial or semi-marine
Otinidae – aquatic (almost fully marine, but a pulmonate)
Lymnaeidae – aquatic
Physidae (bladder snails) – aquatic
Planorbidae (ramshorn snails) – aquatic
Acroloxidae (river limpets) – aquatic
Succineidae (amber snails) – terrestrial (some almost amphibious)
Cochlicopidae – terrestrial
Pyramidulidae – terrestrial
Vertiginidae (whorl snails) – terrestrial
Pupillidae – terrestrial
Lauriidae – terrestrial
Valloniidae – terrestrial
Enidae – terrestrial
Punctidae (dot snails) – terrestrial
Discidae – terrestrial
Arionidae (roundback slugs) – terrestrial
Pristilomatidae – terrestrial
Euconulidae – terrestrial
Gastrodontidae – terrestrial
Oxychilidae – terrestrial
Milacidae – terrestrial
Vitrinidae – terrestrial
Boettgerillidae – terrestrial
Limacidae (keelback slugs) – terrestrial
Agriolimacidae – terrestrial
Ferussaciidae – terrestrial
Clausiliidae (door snails) – terrestrial
Testacellidae (shelled slugs) – terrestrial
Cochlicellidae – terrestrial
Hygromiidae – terrestrial
Helicidae – terrestrial

Bivalvia

Margaritiferidae – aquatic
Unionidae (river mussels) – aquatic
Sphaeriidae (pea clams, fingernail clams) – aquatic
Dreissenidae – aquatic
Corbiculidae (basket clams) – aquatic

List of "hothouse alien" species

These freshwater species are not truly part of the fauna, because they do not live in the wild. They are tropical, and thus are incapable of surviving in the wild in Ireland; instead they have established themselves as uninvited inhabitants of aquaria within greenhouses, and similar artificially-heated aquatic habitats.

Lymnaeidae – aquatic
Planorbidae – aquatic

See also

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Journal of Conchology . 607–637 . An annotated list of the non-marine molluscs of Britain and Ireland . Anderson . R. . 38 . 6 . 2005 . 1753-2205.
  2. (7 January 2009). Checklist of protected & rare species in Ireland. 15 pp., page 12.
  3. Byrne A., Moorkens E. A., Anderson R., Killeen I. J. & Regan E. C. (2009). http://www.npws.ie/en/media/NPWS/Publications/Redlists/RL2.pdf Ireland Red List No. 2 – Non-Marine Molluscs. National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Dublin, Ireland.
  4. [IUCN]
  5. (January 2009). "Third of snail species here threatened with extinction". The Irish Times.
  6. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2010/0102/1224261511662.html "Little sand-bowl arrow snail at the point of no return"
  7. Book: Kerney . M.P. . Atlas of the land and freshwater molluscs of Britain and Ireland . 1999 . Harley Books . Colchester, Essex . 0-946589-48-8.
  8. Book: Rowson, B. . Turner, J. . Anderson, R. . Symondson, W. . 2014. Slugs of Britain and Ireland: identification, understanding and control. Field Studies Council. Telford. 978-1-908819-13-0.
  9. Book: Rowson . B. . Powell . H. . Willing . M. . Dobson . M. . Shaw . H. . Freshwater snails of Britain and Ireland . 2021 . Field Studies Council . Telford . 9781908819581 . First.
  10. Anderson R. (2009). "Value of species datasets as baselines (non-marine Mollusca)" . accessed 31 July 2010.
  11. von Proschwitz . T. . Three land-snail species new to the Norwegian fauna: Pupilla pratensis (Clessin, 1871), Vertigo ultimathule von Proschwitz, 2007 and Balea sarsii Philippi, 1847 [= B. heydeni von Maltzan, 1881] . Fauna Norvegica . 8 November 2010 . 30 . 13–19 . 10.5324/fn.v30i0.628. free .
  12. Web site: ((MolluscaBase eds)). Pupilla pratensis (Clessin, 1871) . MolluscaBase . Flanders Marine Institute . 29 January 2023.
  13. Reich . I. . Gormally . M.. Allcock. A.L. . Mc Donnell . R. . Castillejo . J. . Iglesias . J. . Quinteiro . J . Smith . C.J. . Genetic study reveals close link between Irish and Northern Spanish specimens of the protected Lusitanian slug Geomalacus maculosus. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society . 2015 . 116 . 156–168 . 10.1111/bij.12568. free .
  14. Rowson . B. . Anderson . R. . Turner . J.A. . Symondson . W.O.C. . 2014. The slugs of Britain and Ireland: undetected and undescribed species increase a well-studied, economically important fauna by more than 20% . PLOS ONE . 9 . 4 . e91907 . 10.1371/journal.pone.0091907 . 24740519 . 3989179 . 2014PLoSO...991907R. free.
  15. Hutchinson . J.M.C. . Reise . H. . Schlitt . B. . Will the real Limax nyctelius please step forward: Lehmannia, Ambigolimax, or Malacolimax? No, Letourneuxia! . Archiv für Molluskenkunde . 7 July 2022 . 151 . 1 . 19–41 . 10.1127/arch.moll/151/019-041. 250188836 .
  16. Web site: Ambigolimax parvipenis Hutchinson, Reise & Schlitt, 2022 . Molluscabase . Flanders Marine Institute . 16 July 2022.
  17. Rowson . B. . Anderson . R. . Allen . S. . Another wave of invasion? First record of the true Sicilian slug Deroceras panormitanum sensu stricto from Ireland, and another from Wales (Pulmonata: Agriolimacidae) . Journal of Conchology. 2016. 42. 3. 123–125.
  18. Baars . J.-R. . Caplice . M . Flynn . O. . O’Leary . K. . Swanwick . H. . Minchin . D . The Ponto-Caspian quagga mussel, Dreissena rostriformis bugensis Andrusov, 1897, is established in Ireland . BioInvasions Records . 2022 . 11 . 1 . 173–180 . 10.3391/bir.2022.11.1.17. 246820351 . free .
  19. Hayden . B. . Caffrey . J.M. . First recording of the Asian Clam (Corbicula fluminea (Müller, 1774)) from the River Shannon, with preliminary notes on population size and size class distribution . Irish Naturalists' Journal . 2013 . 32 . 29–31.

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