Living National Treasures

Endemic snails known solely from Romania include:

Cochlodina marisi (Pfeiffer, 1868)
Clausiliidae - Gastropoda
Shell horny yellowish to horny brown, thin, almost smooth, very shiny, 11-12 whorls, cerxix rounded, cervical callus strong and reddish yellow, apertural margin connected at parietal side but not detached, white, parietalis oblique and reaching margin, columellaris moderate, 3-4 palatal folds.
Size: 14-19 x 3-4.2 mm
Distribution: SW Romania


Alopia (Kimakowiczia) maciana (Bădărău & Szekeres, 2001)
Clausiliidae - Gastropoda
Shell dark brown with violet hue, ribbed, 8-10 moderately convex whorls with white suture, cervix rounded, aperture detached, margin broad and light yellowish, parietalis weak, reaching short spiralis inside, columellaris strong, principalis very short, upper palatalis weak and very short if present at all, no lunula, sometimes a very weak basalis, subcolumellaris not visible in a perpendicular view.
Size: 13.8-17.1 x 3.4-3.8 mm
Distribution: Cluj County, Gilău-Muntele Mare Mountains, only known from one locality.


Mastus venerabilis (Pfeiffer, 1853)
Enidae - Gastropoda
Shell sinistral, olive horny brown, first 5 whorls 1/4 of shell height, last whorl 1/3 of shell height, angular tooth present.
Size: 17-22 x 7-9 mm
Distribution: S Carpathians, Transylvania


Source: AnimalBase
Photos: F. Welter Schultes

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