Snails
Small pointed (conical) snail (Prietocella barbara)
Description
The small pointed snail has a conical shell with brown bands of varying width. It is usually less than 10mm in length or diameter.
Habits
Small pointed snails are not restricted to alkaline soils. These snails survive the summer in many habitats - under leaf litter, under the soil surface (up to 50mm), under stumps or stones and climb posts and vegetation. This behaviour of climbing up on vegetation makes it a contamination risk at harvest.
White Italian snail (Theba pisana)
Description
White Italian snails are predominantly white, often with fine brown concentric lines of varying intensity. The body of the snail is creamy-white and the shell is 10-20mm in diameter. The umbilicus (the hole about which the shell spirals) is partly obscured.
Habits
This species thrives in areas of alkaline sandy soils with high calcium content, mainly near the coast. Be aware of snails before liming paddocks as lime aids survival.
It survives during summer off the ground on vegetation and posts, and is commonly found on green weeds. This over summering behaviour of sealing itself on vegetation off the ground makes it a contamination risk of harvested grain.
Vineyard or common white snail (Cernuella virgata)
Description
The vineyard snail resembles the white Italian snail in size and colouring. However, the umbilicus (the hole about which the shell spirals) of the vineyard snail is entire and not partly obscured as with the white Italian snail.
Habits
This species thrives in areas of alkaline sandy soils with a high calcium content, mainly near the coast. It survives during summer off the ground on vegetation and posts. If lime is applied to paddocks where this snail is present, it will aid the survival of the population. Be aware of snails before liming paddocks.
