The large size, tall spire and swollen last whorl make this species one of the most distinctive lymnaeids.
Lymnaea stagnalis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name: European pond snail
Class Gastropoda
Infraclass Heterobranchia
Megaorder Hygrophila
Order Lymnaeida
Superfamily Lymnoidea
Family Lymnaeidae
Genus Lymnaea Lamarck, 1799 (Type species Helix stagnalis Linnaeus, 1758, by monotypy) (many synonyms - see http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=160345).
Original name: Helix stagnalis Linnaeus, 1758. In Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera,species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Edito decimal, reformata. Tomus 1. Laurentii Salvii, Holmiae [=Stockholm], i-iv, 1-824pp.
Type locality: Sweden.
Synonyms: Limnaea tasmanica Tenison Woods, 1876 and many others (see http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=181582).
Amongst water weeds etc., in ponds. Very rarely seen in the wild in Australia. Feeds on algae and detritus. Egg mass a crescent-shaped jelly strip containing many small eggs. Development direct.
Introduced from Europe, this species is found in a few ponds in Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and Launceston, and is also occasionally seen in aquaria around the country.
This large species is found mainly in aquaria. It has a longer spire than other species found in Australia.
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