Golden Wonder
and Topless Beauty
By
Stella M. Turk MBE
Paludinella!
Truncatella!
Two little snails are we
Living twixt land and sea,
Of most impeccable pedigree
In Red Data Book fraternity
Due to undoubted rarity.
One is a wonder to behold
Transparent and a shade of gold
Whilst the other’s had its spire lopped
And could be described as ‘topped’.
To find us needs sharp Conch. Soc.* eyes
We were discovered by those, spies
Ian Killeen and Janice Light
Using first and second sight.
Authors notes
Paludinella littorina is only 2 mm high and 2 mm broad, with 3 to 4 whorls to its shell. It live in caves or under boulders.
Truncatella subcylindrica also has 3 to 4 whorls, and is the same breadth, but 5 mm high. As it matures, the tip of the shell is overgrown and becomes truncated. It is associated with saltmarsh plants.
*Conch. Soc. Is a frequently- used abbreviation for the Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Stella M Turk MBE