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Family: Hygromiidae
Common name: Chartreuse snail
Discovery: O. F. Müller, 1774
Identification
Width: 9-18 mm
Height: 6-10 mm
Whorls: 5.5-6.5
Shell is depressed. Adults with a thickened (not reflected) lip, with an internal varix parallel to the lip edge. Periphery is well rounded. The umbilicus is very small. The shell color is cream to yellowish, and the lip is lined with reddish or brown (Kerney et al. 1979; Welter-Schultes 2012).
Ecology
In Europe, Monacha cartusiana is widespread in meadows, hedges, and on roadsides, usually not in forests. It is found in dry, sunny locations. In the USA, it is typically found in disturbed areas.
Taxonomy
A synonym is Helix olivieri.
Distribution
This European snail is considered invasive in the USA. It has recently been introduced to several places in the USA, and it appears to be spreading slowly, despite attempts to control it. It seems to have established in the Chicago and Cleveland areas. In the mid-Atlantic and northeastern states, it is known from Delaware (Port of Wilmington), and surrounding areas, Pennsylvania (Truck Stop in Bellefonte), West Virginia (Morgantown area).
Conservation
NatureServe Global Rank: G5, Secure