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North American Land Snails — Part 3

Habitat.-Central California coast.

E. Californiensis, Lea, is nearly globular, thin and banded. It lives in sandy localities near the ocean, burying itself in summer under clumps of rattleweed. There are numerous varieties. Diameter and height, 1 inch.

Habitat.-Monterey.

E. tudiculata, Binney, olive brown, with a wide, dark band in a zone of paler hue, has a rough, indented surface, though the shell is thin. The lip is white and thickened near the pit. Diameter, 1 inch.

Habitat.-Central and Southern California.

The Brown-banded Snail (E. rufocincta, Newc.), with a narrow girdle, is a low-spired, thin, smooth shell, 3/4 inch in diameter.

Habitat.-Santa Catalina Island.

Several other western species are described by Professor Keep.

Genus VALLONIA, Risso

Shell minute, discoid, of three to four whorls; umbilicus wide open; aperture roundish, with flaring white rim, nearly circular.

V. pulchella, Mull., deserves mention here because it covers the northern hemisphere, and has colonised some regions south of the equator. It is found in companies, living under bark of trees, fragments of rock, or on the moss of bogs, always away from the light. Its transparency and its minute size make for protection; it is only 1/8 inch across. No wonder it lives its life with little molestation. It frequently appears suddenly and in great numbers in places where it was unknown before. In this way, Dr. Stearns found it in his yard in Los Angeles. It is also reported from Utah and other western states.

Ashmunella rhyssa, Dall., is a low-spired, pitted snail, finely cross-wrinkled, with a white lip that flares, but is constricted just inside the aperture, which has a thickened tooth on its inner wall. Diameter, 2/3 inch.

Habitat.-Mountains of New Mexico.

A. Levettei, Bld., is a thin, shining, transparent, orb-snail, of seven whorls, with teeth on both outer and inner lips. Diameter 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch. Sante Fe, N.M.