''Cernuella'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of small air-breathing land snails, pulmonate gastropod

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is es ...

s in the family

Geomitridae Geomitridae is a taxonomic family of small to medium-sized air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicoidea.MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Geomitridae C.R. Boettger, 1909. Accessed throu ...

, the hairy snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Cernuella Schlüter, 1838. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=426368 on 2020-08-04 The native range of the genus is primarily

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on th ...

. Some species such as ''

Cernuella virgata ''Cernuella virgata'', also known as ''Helicella virgata'', common name, the "vineyard snail", is a species of small, air-breathing land snail, a pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Geomitridae.MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. ...

'' have become significant invasive species, agricultural pests, in parts of Australia. This same species of the genus has been recovered in

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscape ...

excavations from the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Medite ...

occupation of

Volubilis Volubilis (; ar, وليلي, walīlī; ber, ⵡⵍⵉⵍⵉ, wlili) is a partly excavated Berber-Roman city in Morocco situated near the city of Meknes, and may have been the capital of the kingdom of Mauretania, at least from the time of Ki ...

, an ancient habitation site in present-day

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria ...

. ''Cernuella'' snails create and use

love dart A love dart (also known as a gypsobelum, shooting darts, or just as darts) is a sharp, calcareous or chitinous dart which some hermaphroditic land snails and slugs create. Love darts are both formed and stored internally in a dart sac. The ...

s as part of their

courtship Courtship is the period wherein some couples get to know each other prior to a possible marriage. Courtship traditionally may begin after a betrothal and may conclude with the celebration of marriage. A courtship may be an informal and private ...

and mating behavior.

Species

Species within the genus ''Cernuella'' include: * ''

Cernuella aginnica ''Cernuella aginnica'' is a species of small air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Geomitridae. MolluscaBase eds. (2022). MolluscaBase. Cernuella aginnica (Locard, 1882). Accessed through: World Regis ...

'' (Locard, 1882) * ''

Cernuella amanda ''Cernuella'' is a genus of small air-breathing land snails, pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Geomitridae, the hairy snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Cernuella Schlüter, 1838. Accessed through: World Reg ...

'' (Rossmässler, 1838) * ''

Cernuella aradasii ''Cernuella'' is a genus of small air-breathing land snails, pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Geomitridae, the hairy snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Cernuella Schlüter, 1838. Accessed through: World Reg ...

'' (Pirajno, 1842) * ''

Cernuella caruanae ''Cernuella'' is a genus of small air-breathing land snails, pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Geomitridae, the hairy snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Cernuella Schlüter, 1838. Accessed through: World Reg ...

'' (Kobelt, 1888) * ''

Cernuella cisalpina ''Cernuella cisalpina'', sometimes known as the "maritime gardensnail", is a species of small air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Geomitridae. MolluscaBase eds. (2022). MolluscaBase. Cernuella cis ...

'' (Rossmässler, 1837) * ''

Cernuella hydruntina ''Cernuella hydruntina'' is a species of small air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Geomitridae Geomitridae is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic Family (biology), family of small to medium-sized a ...

'' (Kobelt, 1883) * ''

Cernuella jonica ''Cernuella'' is a genus of small air-breathing land snails, pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Geomitridae, the hairy snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Cernuella Schlüter, 1838. Accessed through: World Reg ...

'' (Mousson, 1854) * ''

Cernuella lampedusae ''Cernuella'' is a genus of small air-breathing land snails, pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Geomitridae, the hairy snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Cernuella Schlüter, 1838. Accessed through: World Reg ...

'' (Kobelt, 1890) * ''

Cernuella neglecta ''Cernuella neglecta'', the dune snail, is a species of small air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusc in the family Geomitridae. MolluscaBase eds. (2022). MolluscaBase. Cernuella neglecta (Draparnaud, 1805). Access ...

'' (Draparnaud, 1805) * † ''

Cernuella palaeocastrensis ''Cernuella'' is a genus of small air-breathing land snails, pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Geomitridae, the hairy snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Cernuella Schlüter, 1838. Accessed through: World Reg ...

'' (De Stefani in De Stefani et al., 1891) * ''

Cernuella rugosa ''Cernuella'' is a genus of small air-breathing land snails, pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Geomitridae, the hairy snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Cernuella Schlüter, 1838. Accessed through: World Reg ...

'' (Lamarck, 1822) * ''

Cernuella selmaniana ''Cernuella'' is a genus of small air-breathing land snails, pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Geomitridae, the hairy snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Cernuella Schlüter, 1838. Accessed through: World Reg ...

'' Brandt, 1959 * ''

Cernuella tineana ''Cernuella'' is a genus of small air-breathing land snails, pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Geomitridae, the hairy snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Cernuella Schlüter, 1838. Accessed through: World Reg ...

'' (Benoit, 1862) * ''

'' (Da Costa, 1778) ;Synonyms: * ''Cernuella dobrogica'' Grossu, 1983: synonym of ''Cernuella cisalpina'' (Rossmässler, 1837) (junior synonym) * ''Cernuella metabola'' (Westerlund, 1889): synonym of ''

Theba pisana ''Theba pisana'', common names the white garden snail, sand hill snail, white Italian snail, Mediterranean coastal snail, and simply just the Mediterranean snail, is an edible species of medium-sized, air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmon ...

'' (O. F. Müller, 1774) (junior synonym) * ''Cernuella zilchi'' Brandt, 1959: synonym of '' Alteniella zilchi'' (Brandt, 1959) (original

References

* Monterosato, T. A. di. (1892). Molluschi terrestri delle isole adiacenti alla Sicilia. Atti della Reale Accademia di Scienze, Lettere e Belle Arti di Palermo, Terza Serie. 3 (2): 1-34. Palermo. * Bank, R. A. (2017). Classification of the Recent terrestrial Gastropoda of the World. Last update: July 16th, 2017.

External links

Schlüter, F. (1838). Kurzgefasstes systematisches Verzeichniss meiner Conchyliensammlung nebst Andeutung aller bis jetzt von mir bei Halle gefundenen Land- und Flussconchylien. Gebauersche Buchdruckerei, Halle. vii + 40 pp

Gude, G. K. & Woodward, B. B. (1921). On Helicella, Férussac. Proceedings of the Malacological Society of London. 14 (5/6): 174-190. London
{{Commons category Geomitridae Gastropod genera