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quick gloss
quick gloss (Zonitoides arboreus)
Illinois Status: common, native
Photo © Marla Coppolino
Features and Behaviors
FEATURES
The quick gloss is a small snail with four and a half whorls. It grows to about a quarter of an inch wide, and half as tall. The shell is glossy and translucent, has a reduced spiral, and deep umbilicus (center of the whorls ). Small differences in shell morphology differentiate the quick gloss from other species in this genus, which are not as common. The snail's body is dark on the head and dorsal side, and white on the ventral side and foot. The foot is narrow. Taxonomically similar snails for this species are Z. arboreus are Helix arboreus, H. ottonis, H. breweri, Zonites arboreus, Hyalina arborea, H. breweri, H. whitneyi, and H. roseni.
BEHAVIORS
The quick gloss is among the most abundant land snails in Illinois and is found statewide. It lives in a variety of habitats, from woodlands to urban parks, gently sloping stream banks to steep bluffs. It lives under loose bark, fallen timber, and rock piles. Eggs are laid one at a time in damp leaf litter.
Illinois Range
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Order: Stylommatophora
Family: Gastrodontidae
Habitats
woodlands to urban parks, gently sloping stream banks to steep bluffs
