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domed disc
domed disc (Discus patulus)
Illinois Status: common, native
Photo © Marla Coppolino
Features and Behaviors
FEATURES
The domed disc is one of two species of the Discus genera found in Illinois. It is a small land snail with a brown, coppery color. The shell is wider than tall, about one-half inch in diameter, and the surface has diagonal ribbing. The animal has a large body and long eye stalks. The other species in this genus, the forest disc (Discus chronkhitei), has four whorls, as opposed to the six whorls common of the domed disc. Discus patalus was known for a time as D. perspectiva, but was renamed because D. perspectiva had already been used to describe another snail.
BEHAVIORS
The domed disc is most abundant in the forested, southern region of Illinois. It is found on rotting logs in woodland habitats, valleys of oak, elm, and hickory as well as flood plains, hillsides, and limestone cliffs.
Illinois Range
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Stylommatophora
Family: Discidae
Habitats
forested, southern region of Illinois
