No specific data was found on this topic.
Helix pomatia or its habitat receives some level of protection throughout much of Europe, even where introduced such as the United Kingdom.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
State of Michigan List: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: no special status
The embryos of Helix pomatia undergo development that is typical of veliger larvae. In the case that an embryo becomes dehydrated, it is usually able to survive. The snails emerge from their shells three to four weeks after they are deposited in a hole dug by their parent, depending on both the temperature and humidity. Each newly-hatched snail typically weighs twenty-seven milligrams and has both male and female reproductive organs. The snails live in the hole dug by the parent for a little over a week, feeding on the empty eggshells.
Shells grow incrementally until they reach maturity. Growth of the shell is inhibited by adverse weather conditions such as extreme heat or dryness, but eight hours of sunlight is optimal. Shells cannot reach full development unless they are able to access a rich calcium carbonate food-source
Development - Life Cycle: metamorphosis
Helix pomatia can cause significant crop damage
Negative Impacts: crop pest
Helix pomatia is cultivated and eaten as food.
Positive Impacts: food
The grazing of Helix pomatia potentially has important effects on the plant community
Most feeding occurs between sunset and midnight. While feeding, the snails use their radula to brush the food. They require a calcium rich food source for shell growth and maintenance, and also feed on a variety of fruits, vegetables, flowers and leaves.
Plant Foods: leaves; fruit; flowers; sap or other plant fluids
Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore , Frugivore , Eats sap or other plant foods)
Helix pomatia is indigenous to Central and Southeast Europe, but has been moved by humans all over Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Introduced ); palearctic (Introduced , Native ); neotropical (Introduced )
Helix pomatia prefers low-lying chalk and limestone areas but can be found up to 1830 meters in altitude. They can also be seen in vineyards, gardens, thickets and parks. They require a habitat that is humid with fairly constant, mild temperatures; and they cannot tolerate heavy rains or direct sunlight.
Range elevation: 1830 (high) m.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland
Other Habitat Features: suburban ; agricultural
Helix pomatia lives in the wild have a typical lifespan of five years, while those that are held in captivity can live longer than ten years. Egg deposition affects lifespan because it causes significant weight loss. Snails that inhabit densely populated areas also suffer from higher mortality rates. Nematodes, trematodes, fungi, and other parasite are capable of infecting dense snail populations, causing high mortality.
Range lifespan
Status: wild: 10+ (high) years.
Helix pomatia has a brown shell with three to five light brown bands, four to five whorls, and are round or conical. A mature shell can range from 3.8-5.0 centimeters in height and diameter and is approximately one-third of their weight.
Range length: 3.8 to 5.0 cm.
Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Young Helix pomatia are preyed upon by birds, insects, toads and mice. Snail eggs can also be predated by newly-hatched snails. Secreted slime, although not poisonous or unpalatable, often deters predation.
Known Predators:
Helix pomatia has a mate-selection process in which they court each other for several hours. The mates they ultimately select are usually not from different locations.
The mating process occurs in five steps: (1) With their heads up, snails circle each other and feel one another with their tentacles. (2)After becoming stimulated, one of the snails injects a calcareous “love-dart” into the sole of the other snail. Once it becomes exhausted, the other snail does the same thing. (3)After resting, they align in such a way that their genital openings overlap. This act further stimulates the snails. (4)The two snails twist their bodies around one another so that the penis and vagina are connected. One snail receives a spermatophore in a process that takes four to seven minutes. (5)In the final stage, the penis is removed. However, the two snails can remain attached with their feet together for several hours.
Snails can undergo the aforementioned mating ritual up to two times a year. However, if they live in a densely populated area, mating activity is reduced because the increased slime secretion suppresses reproduction.
Mating System: polygynandrous (promiscuous)
Mating in Helix pomatia usually takes place among mature snails in the late spring and early summer, but can occur as last as October. After fertilization occurs, the snails can deposit anywhere from eight to thirty eggs. Sexual maturity is reached in two to four years.
Breeding interval: Two to six times per year
Breeding season: From late spring into early fall
Range number of offspring: 8 to 30.
Range gestation period: 3 to 4 weeks.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 2 to 4 years.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 2 to 4 years.
Key Reproductive Features: seasonal breeding ; simultaneous hermaphrodite; sexual ; fertilization (Internal ); oviparous
Helix pomatia typically selects a light, moist, deep soil in order to ensure that its eggs fully develop. After laying their eggs in a hole, which can take 15-20 minutes per egg, they cover them with a mixture of slime and soil. No other direct parental care is provided.
Parental Investment: no parental involvement; pre-hatching/birth (Protecting: Male, Female)
Helix pomatia, common names the Roman snail, Burgundy snail, or escargot, is a species of large, edible, air-breathing land snail, a pulmonate gastropod terrestrial mollusc in the family Helicidae.[3] It is one of Europe's biggest species of land snail.
Distribution of H. pomatia includes:
Southeastern and Central Europe:[4]
Eastern Europe:
Southern Europe:
The shell is creamy white to light brownish, often with indistinct brown colour bands.[4] The shell has five to six whorls.[4] The aperture is large.[4] The apertural margin is white and slightly reflected in adult snails.[4] The umbilicus is narrow and partly covered by the reflected columellar margin.[4]
The width of the shell is 30–50 millimetres (1.2–2.0 inches).[4] The height of the shell is 30–45 mm (1.2–1.8 in).[4]
In southeastern Europe, H. pomatia lives in forests, open habitats, gardens, and vineyards, especially along rivers, confined to calcareous substrate.[4] In Central Europe, it occurs in open forests and shrubland on calcareous substrate.[4] It prefers high humidity and lower temperatures, and needs loose soil for burrowing to hibernate and lay its eggs.[4] It lives up to 2,100 m (6,900 ft) above sea level in the Alps, but usually below 2,000 m (6,600 ft).[4] In the south of England, it is restricted to undisturbed grassy or bushy wastelands, usually not in gardens; it has a low reproduction rate and low powers of dispersal.[4]
Average distance of migration reaches 3.5–6.0 m (11.5–19.7 ft).[4]
This snail is hermaphroditic. Reproduction in Central Europe begins at the end of May.[4]
Reproductive system of H. pomatia
A pair of H. pomatia in courtship, shortly before mating
Drawing of head of mating H. pomatia with everted penis and dart sac shooting a love dart
Drawing of H. pomatia laying eggs
Eggs are laid in June and July, in clutches of 40–65 eggs.[4] The size of the egg is 5.5–6.5 mm[4] or 8.6 × 7.2 mm.[10] Juveniles hatch after three to four weeks, and may consume their siblings under unfavourable climate conditions.[4] Maturity is reached after two to five years.[4] The life span is up to 20 years, but snails die faster often because of drying in summer and freezing in winter.[4] Ten-year-old individuals are probably not uncommon in natural populations.[4] The maximum lifespan is 35 years.[4]
During estivation or hibernation, H. pomatia is one of the few species that is capable of creating a calcareous epiphragm to seal the opening of its shell.
Drawing of H. pomatia during hibernation
Photo of the shell with an epiphragm
Epiphragm of H. pomatia
This species is listed in IUCN Red List, and in European Red List of Non-marine Molluscs as of least concern.[11][12] H. pomatia is threatened by continuous habitat destructions and drainage, usually less threatened by commercial collections.[4] Many unsuccessful attempts have been made to establish the species in various parts of England, Scotland, and Ireland; it only survived in natural habitats in southern England, and is threatened by intensive farming and habitat destruction.[4] It is of lower concern in Switzerland and Austria, but many regions restrict commercial collecting.[4]
In Japan, the Mie Escargot Farm succeeded in the complete cultivation of Burgundy species (Pomatia).[13]
The intestinal juice of H. pomatia contains large amounts of aryl, steroid, and glucosinolate sulfatase activities. These sulfatases have a broad specificity, so are commonly used as a hydrolyzing agent in analytical procedures such as chromatography to prepare the sample for analysis.[14]
Roman snails were eaten by both Ancient Greeks and Romans.[15]
Nowadays, these snails are especially popular in French cuisine. In the English language, it is called by the French name escargot when used in cooking (escargot simply means snail).
Although this species is highly prized as a food, it is difficult to cultivate and rarely farmed commercially.[16]
This article incorporates public domain text from the reference.[4]
Helix pomatia, common names the Roman snail, Burgundy snail, or escargot, is a species of large, edible, air-breathing land snail, a pulmonate gastropod terrestrial mollusc in the family Helicidae. It is one of Europe's biggest species of land snail.
