Family VALLONIIDAE Morse, 1864

Museums

Regional Maps

Introduction

Valloniids range from North America across Europe and north Africa into northern Asia. One or two species of Vallonia have been introduced into countries outside their native range where climatic conditions are favourable. A single introduced species, Vallonia excentrica, occurs in urbanised areas of temperate southern Australia.

Valloniids are herbivores and the species can reach very large numbers in dense mats of grass and under ground cover plants. They can also reach considerable population densities in greenhouses and plant nurseries.

Diagnosis

Valloniids have very small (diameter less than 5 mm) discoidal to turbinate shells. The subfamily Valloniinae (to which the Australian introduction belongs) is characterised by discoidal shells with flattened to slightly raised spires, strongly impressed sutures, either smooth or radially ribbed sculpture, rounded whorls, a medium to wide umbilicus, circular aperture and thickened reflected lips. Shells are translucent to transparent and of a silky lustre and colour varies from white to corneous. The animal is pale in colour (cream) with relatively short club-like ocular tentacles.

Diagnosis References

Stanisic, J. 1998. Family Valloniidae. pp. 1084-1085 in Beesley, P.L., Ross, G.J.B. & Wells, A. (eds). Mollusca: The Southern Synthesis. Fauna of Australia. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing Vol. 5(Part B) pp. vi–viii, 565–1234.

Stanisic, J., Shea, M., Potter, D. & Griffiths, O. 2010. Australian Land Snails. A field guide to eastern Australian species. Mauritius : Bioculture Press Vol. 1 595 pp. [110]

General References

Burch, J.B. 1976. Outline of classification of Australian terrestrial molluscs (native and introduced). Journal of the Malacological Society of Australia 3: 127-156

Shea, M. 1984. Sydney Valloniidae. Part 1. Australian Shell News 48: 4

Smith, B.J. 1989. Travelling snails. Journal of Medicine and Applied Malacology 1: 195-204

Smith, B.J. 1992. Non-Marine Mollusca. In, Houston, W.W.K. (ed.). Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Non-marine Mollusca. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 8 xii 408 pp. [315]

Smith, B.J. & Kershaw, R.C. 1979. Field Guide to the Non-marine Molluscs of South-eastern Australia. Canberra : A.N.U. Press 285 pp.

Solem, A. 1989. Non-camaenid land snails of the Kimberley and Northern Territory, Australia. I. Systematics, affinities and ranges. Invertebrate Taxonomy 2(4): 455-604

Stanisic, J. 1998. Family Valloniidae. pp. 1084-1085 in Beesley, P.L., Ross, G.J.B. & Wells, A. (eds). Mollusca: The Southern Synthesis. Fauna of Australia. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing Vol. 5(Part B) pp. vi–viii, 565–1234.

Stanisic, J., Shea, M., Potter, D. & Griffiths, O. 2010. Australian Land Snails. A field guide to eastern Australian species. Mauritius : Bioculture Press Vol. 1 595 pp. [110]

History of changes