The occurrence of protected vertiginids Vertigo angustior Jeffreys, 1830 and V. moulinsiana (Dupuy, 1849) (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Vertiginidae) in the estuary of the Odra River

Abstract

AbstrAct:The wetlands at the Odra estuary in the environs of the Szczecin and Kamieński lagoons were surveyed for the occurrence of vertiginids, identifying their habitats and accompanying malacofauna. In total, 22 land snail species were recorded, among them five species of Vertigo: V. angustior Jeffreys (5 localities), V. moulinsiana (Dupuy) (3), V. antivertigo (Draparnaud) (15), V. pygmaea (Draparnaud) (20) and V. substriata (Jeffreys) (2). The localities of the protected V. angustior and V. moulinsiana were situated along the Dziwna Strait and the Kamieński Lagoon. In the Odra estuary, V. angustior and V. moulinsiana occurred in four plant communities: sedge beds Caricetum gracilis, Caricetum distichae, Caricetum acutiformis and herbs of the Lysimachio-Filipenduletum association. The inventory showed that the protected vertiginids could inhabit a landscape altered by human activities if the surrounding areas ensured constant humidity. On the contrary, intensive agricultural activities on the polders surrounding the Szczecin Lagoon excluded their occurrence. The passive transport of snails by backwater current in the Kamieński Lagoon from the abundant populations in the Karpinek Bay (both species present) may account for the distribution of vertiginids in the study area.