Additional data on the distribution and polymorphism of the grove snail Cepaea nemoralis (Gastropoda, Pulmonata) in Lviv and its surroundings
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Data on the localities and phenotypic composition of C. nemoralis in Lviv and its surroundings, which have not been published or have only been partially published previously, are summarised. Most of them were received between 2022 and 2025. The records of this species in Briukhovychi, Horishnii, Zymna Voda, Konopnytsia, Rudno, and Sokilnyky were first described. For the first time, a complete composition of phenotypes registered near large garden centres in Pidbirtsi (Plants Club), Horodok (Elit Flora) and near Davydiv (GalSad) is presented. The tables present data for 8 thousand adult specimens of C. nemoralis from 59 sites in 11 settlements of the Lviv region. Moreover, some small samples, as well as records of single individuals of C. nemoralis in the administrative boundaries of Lviv and beyound are described in the text. The presented data confirm the rapid spread of C. nemoralis in the studied area. They also demonstrate a fairly clear association of many newly formed colonies with young ornamental plantings (most often conifers, but also ornamental shrubs). This confirms the crucial importance of garden centres in the rapid spread of this species. Although at some sites of Lviv and its surroundings the phenotypic composition of C. nemoralis may be limited to several, and occasionally even one group of phenotypes (founder effect), in general, a great diversity of the shell colouration was recorded in the studied area. Similar to other parts of Eastern Europe, individuals of C. nemoralis with brown shells are the rarest in Lviv and its surroundings. In addition to Lviv, such specimens have been found in recent years in Briukhovychi, Horishnii, Horodok, and Pidbirtsi. From 2019 to 2025, almost all possible variants of the band fusion among shells with five normally developed bands were found in Lviv and its immediate surroundings, with the exception of the rarest ones. Compared with the summarised data for the species range, the phenotypes (123)(45) and (12345) are somewhat less common, while 123(45) is somewhat more common here. The obtained data can be used in the future to monitor both the further spread of C. nemoralis in the Lviv region and possible changes in its phenotypic composition due to random processes or climatic selection.
Authors: Taras Rodych, Nina Gural-Sverlova
Language: English
Subfield: Animal Science and Zoology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7154303457