Description: Similar to Quickella arenaria but with a less convex body whorl and shallower sutures. Shell surface moderately shiny. Colour variable, deep yellow-brown to translucent greenish. In life the spire is no darker than the body whorl. Shell fragile and translucent. Very local and rare. 6-8 mm.

World Distribution: Found across Europe and east to central Siberia. Distribution type: Eurosiberian Wide-temperate (64).

Irish Distribution: Confined to relatively small and well-separated areas but not uncommon within these areas (Kerney, 1976). A boreal relict and rare or very localised in most of the British Isles. In northern Ireland there are two disjunct areas of distribution: the north-eastern shores of Lough Neagh between Cranfield Point and Rea's Wood NNR south of the town of Antrim; and around the shores of Lower Lough Erne, extending westwards into south Donegal. A colony intermediate between these has recently been found in a limestone quarry at Harper's Bridge in south Tyrone (Anderson 2002). There is a large area of north Kerry where it appears widespread and scattered sites in Cos Cork and Waterford as well as along the Boyne Valley in Co. Louth.

Ecology:

• On Lough Neagh a relict population inhabits grazed and therefore open, sandy or gravelly lakeshores, but the cessation of grazing and growth of lush vegetation or woodland has led to its disappearance at several sites
• On Lough Erne the lakeshore habitat is seasonally inundated and it occurs under stones and at the base of stone dykes in flood-prone lakeshore pastures
• Suitable open habitats have historically tended to be very localised or unstable, but where favourable conditions are re-created from the quarrying of limestone rocks it appears to be an efficient and active colonist

Key Identification Features:

• A small, turreted, yellow-brown or greenish shell with moderately large body whorl
• Body whorl less convex than that of Q. arenaria
• Spire of a similar colour to the rest in the living animal, not darker as in Q. arenaria
• Aperture a short oval
• Shell fragile and translucent
• Animal pale grey to dark grey

Red list status:

• Endangered (EN).

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

iNaturalist: Succinella oblonga at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

GBIF data for Succinella oblonga | Classification: Gastropoda, Stylommatophora, Succineidae, Succinella

Thumbnails for genus Succinella