Description: A small, depressed-globular shell with low spire and 5½-6 convex whorls with deep sutures. Aperture rounded with a very thin or no internal rib. Surface slightly glossy, translucent, whitish to pale brown, covered with stiff straight hairs. Local in Ireland and commonest near the south coast. 7-9 mm.

World Distribution: A western European species found in the British Isles and a few places in north-west France and north-west Spain. Distribution type: Oceanic Temperate (71).

Irish Distribution: Mainly recorded from southern and south-western counties with scattered localities up the west coast to Inishowen in Co. Donegal. Its patchy distribution is difficult to account for but may be due to a sensitivity to grazing pressure in the lightly wooded habitats it prefers.

Ecology:

• In Ireland it has been recorded mostly from light hazel scrub, along hedgerows and in scrubby pasture (Anderson, 1977, 1983, 1992b)
• In Co. Waterford it is common near the coast in domestic gardens and along hedgerows

Key Identification Features:

• A small, depressed-globular hairy shell
• Surface slightly glossy, translucent and whitish or pale brown
• Shell ornamented with stiff, straight, pale hairs with a bulbous base
• Aperture rounded with a very thin or no internal rib
• Umbilicus very narrow, covered by the reflected columellar lip
• Animal pale grey to bluish-grey

Red list status:

• Near threatened (NT).

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

iNaturalist: Ashfordia granulata at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

GBIF data for Ashfordia granulata | Classification: Gastropoda, Stylommatophora, Hygromiidae, Ashfordia

Thumbnails for genus Ashfordia