Description: Shell a very flattened coil of 5-6 whorls. Whorls with almost flush sutures (appearing channeled!) and with flattened spire. Surface very glossy, pale brown. Umbilicus moderately wide. Animal mid to dark blue-grey with conspicuous brown spotting on the mantle edge. 9-14 mm.

World Distribution: With a similar European distribution to O. alliarius but not reaching as far north in Scandinavia. Distribution type: Suboceanic Temperate (72).

Irish Distribution: Widespread and usually abundant.

Ecology:

• Ubiquitous in wet shaded places including gardens, old hedgerows, scrub and ruined buildings
• The Irish form of this species ("Vitrea hibernica Kennard") is larger and more deeply coloured in the body and mantle than British forms, approaching the size and colour of O. draparnaudi, but lacking the darkened edge to the mantle - this form is widespread in old woodland throughout Ireland
• In many disturbed sites a smaller, less deeply coloured form occurs - this is assumed to be the common British form present as a naturalized introduction

Key Identification Features:

• A very glossy, falttened shell of medium size
• Sutures almost flat and appearing channelled
• Umbilicus moderately wide
• Shell pale brown, rarely colourless, animal mid to dark blue-grey with a conspicuously brown-spotted mantle edge
• Only a faint odour or no odour of garlic when irritated

Red list status:

• Least concern (lc).

Distribution Map from NBN: Oxychilus cellarius at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Oxychilus cellarius at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

GBIF data for Oxychilus cellarius | Classification: Gastropoda, Stylommatophora, Oxychilidae, Oxychilus

Thumbnails for genus Oxychilus