Daudebardias

Daudebardiinae Kobelt 1906
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Gloss Snails (Zonitidae etc.) Dagger Snails (Gastrodontidae) Gloss Snails (Oxychilidae) Daudebardias (Daudebardiinae)

Introduction

 
Rötliche Daudebardie (Daudebardia rufa): Bangor, Wales,
Großbritannien. Bild: Yolanda Evans (iNaturalist).
The subfamily of the Daudebardiinae is part of the gloss snails. According to the most recent state of science, they are a subfamily of the Oxychilidae family, of which the Cellar Gloss Snail (Oxychilus cellarius) is a members, as is the Garlic Gloss Snail (Oxychilus alliarius). Daudebardias do look like slugs: Their shell is reduced to such an extent, that the adult animal cannot withdraw into it, however the juveniles still can. The reduction of the shell is an adaption to the way those snails live: Daudebardias are predators living underground where they feed on earthworms, insect larvae and small snails.

In mountain and hill country, where they usually live near springs in humid locations, they look for food under leaves and in rock rubble.

The systematic expression Daudebardia ist derived from the name of the French naturalist und malacologist André Étienne d'Audebard de Férussac (1786 - 1836), after whom also the Ground Snail (Ferussaciidae) have been named.

Systematics

Stylommatophora
Suborder Helicina
Superfamily Gastrodontoidea
Family Oxychilidae
Subfamily Daudebardiinae Kobelt 1906

Source: MolluscaBase eds. (2025): Daudebardiinae Kobelt, 1906.

Daudebardias (Daudebardiinae Kobelt 1906)

Reddish Daudebardia - Daudebardia rufa (Draparnaud 1805)

 
Reddish Daudebardia (Daudebardia rufa): Bangor, Wales,
Great Britain. Photo: Yolanda Evans (iNaturalist).
   
 
Reddish Daudebardia (Daudebardia rufa): Crete, Greece.
Photo: Kaloust Paragamian (iNaturalist).  

A daudebardia from the Vienna Woods with an unclear spe-
cies designation. Photo: Martina Eleveld.		  
Description: The tiny shell a daudebardia carries on the hind part of its back, is reddish horn coloured, white or yellowish. Though it is too small for the adult snail to withdraw into it, the shell displays 2½ recognisable whorls, the last of which is strongly extended (see bottom picture on the right). The embryonic spire (primordial spire) is overgrown by the last whorl. The animal itself has a grey blue colour, the bottom part of the foot is more lightly coloured.

Dimensions: H: 1.5 mm; W: 3.5 mm; L: 5 mm; N: 2½. Body length: 17 - 20 mm. Information: Abbreviations

Habitat and Distribution: The Reddish Daudebardia lives under leaves and stones in humid natural mountain forests, often in the vicinity of water. The mainly subterraneous species avoids decaying or swampy grounds, as well as acidic ground types. The Reddish Daudebardia feeds on earthworms, insect larvae and smaller snails, which are eaten whole.

The species' distribution area spreads over northern Algeria, Asia Minor and Europe. Daudebardia rufa is present from the Balkan Peninsula and Greece oevr the Carpathian foot hills, the Sudeten mountains and middle Germany as far as the Rhine Valley, also southern Italy, Sicily and Sardinia, as well as southern Anatolia and Cyprus. In Switzerland, the Reddish Daudebardia is found in altitudes of up to 1000 m MSL, in Bulgaria between 500 and 1500 m MSL.

Threat Situation: The Reddish Daudebardia in Europe is rather rare and dispersed. Because of the little natural forests left not disturbed by forestry, the Daudebardia only finds very few suitable habitats. In Switzerland, Bavaria and the Austrian state of Vorarlberg, the species is considered critically endangered, in the rest of Austria and Germany it is considered endangered ( see IUCN Threat Categories).

Links

Literature

 

Latest Change: 26.07.2026 (Robert Nordsieck).