Strawberry Snail (Trochulus striolatus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Trochulus (?) striolatus ("striated")

Adult Strawberry Snail (Trochulus striolatus) at Hay on Wye, Wales - April 2016

Featured Subspecies: ?
Weight: ?  /  Width: 11-15mm
NO UK STATUS /  IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

Compared to the most familiar snails of the UK, the Strawberry snail is unusually flattened in form and a good deal smaller.  It's apparently found almost entirely across the UK, but I can only recall finding it once - a little outside Haye on Wye, and this situation would apparently fit with it's typical movement time in daylight - in a damp location after rains - in this case a damp Welsh Valley.

Related Species:
Order: Helicoidea
Family: Hygromiidae
Genus: Trocholus
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Widespread, but not as frequently seen as more common species.

 - Seen at Haye on Wye in 2016 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Brown-lipped Snail (Cepaea nemoralis)

OTHER NAMES: Grove Snail
Latin Etymology: Cepaea ("of the garden") nemoralis ("of the woods")

Adult Brown-lipped Snail (Cepaea nemoralis) at Geddington, Northants - May 2029

Featured Subspecies: ?
Weight: ?  /  Width: 18-25mm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Similar to it's close relation the White-lipped snail in many ways, the Brown-lipped snail can indeed be differentiated by the colour of the band around the opening of it's shell, here seem to be brown, although even this is no entirely reliable.  The colour variety seen in the picture is a more woodland adapted varient due to it's brown colouration, but comes in a wide variety of forms from yellow to the classic yellow and black spirals.  Unlike the White-lipped, this species has established itself in the Americas.

Related Species:
Order: Helicoidea
Family: Helicidae
Genus: Cepaea
SUBSPECIES: ? 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A common and often abundant resident.

 - Seen in many locations.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis)

OTHER NAMES: Garden Banded Snail
Latin Etymology: Cepaea ("of the garden") hortensis ("of the garden")

Adult White-lipped Snail (Cepaea hortensis) at Trevose Head, Cornwall - June 2011

Featured Subspecies: ?
Weight: ?  /  Width: 2.5cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

One of the other most common snails, and in my opinion the most beautiful found in the UK.  It and it's close relation the brown-lipped snail are both highly variable in shell pattern, with it being a noted example of habitat based natural selection, with the entirely bright yellow snails being more common in open grassland while the darker and more banded specimens find more success in woodland where their shells act as better camoflage.

Related Species:
Order: Helicoidea
Family: Helicidae
Genus: Cepaea
SUBSPECIES: ?

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A common resident.

 - Seen at numerous sites.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Garden Snail (Cornu aspersum)

OTHER NAMES: Brown Garden Snail
Latin Etymology: Cornu ("horn") aspersum ("scattered")

Adult Garden Snail (Cornu aspersum) at Weekly, Northants - June 2019

Featured Subspecies: ?
Weight: ?  /  Width: 40mm
NO UK STATUS /  IUCN Red List: Not Yet Evaluated 

The garden snail is the familiar snail species of the UK - its a large brown species, that mostly emerges at night to feed on plants, making it the bane of gardeners.  In the day, it can often be found under covered areas to protect itself from predators.  It is a favoured food source of many species, perhaps most notably thrushes who are specialised in breaking their shells by slamming them into rocks, and you can occassionally find small snail graveyards in a favoured location.

Related Species:
Order: Helicoidea
Family: Helicidae
Genus: Cornu
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM  - Widespread and abundant resident.

 - Seen in many locations.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .