Eobania vermiculata

Eobania vermiculata also known as Helix vermiculata, common name the "chocolate-band snail" is a species of large, air-breathing, land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Helicidae, the true snails or typical snails. Eobania vermiculata is the type species of the genus Eobania. This species of large land snail is common in the Mediterranean area; its distribution ranges from eastern Spain to Crimea: Israel Egypt eastern Spain eastern Bulgaria southern Greece Crimea in Ukraine The nonindigenous distribution of Eobania vermiculata includes: This species has been introduced to southeastern Australia, where it is known as the chocolate-band snail. One individual of this snail species was found living on a wall in Lewisham, London, England, in 2006. It remains to be seen if a colony will establish itself or not. E. vermiculata has non-indigenous populations in Belgium, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, the US, Australia, Japan, South Africa, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Iran. This species is already established in the US, and is considered to represent a potentially serious threat as a pest, an invasive species which could negatively affect agriculture, natural ecosystems, human health or commerce. Therefore, it has been suggested that this species be given top national quarantine significance in the USA. E. vermiculata is able to survive winters in the North-West European temperate zone, including Belgium and The Netherlands. In this species the color of the shell is very variable. The background color can be whitish to greenish yellow, and the shell often has darker coloured bands or spots. The ventral side of the shell frequently has two brown bands, and is whitish between the lowest band and the umbilicus. The shell has 4-4.5 whorls. The last whorl descends abruptly below the periphery of the shell. The apertural margin is white, and is reflected (turned back)in adult shells, in juveniles this is true only on the columellar side.