Abstract
WITH few exceptions the freshwater pulmonate snails in Britain seem to have an annual life-cycle. Boycott1 believed that Planorbarius corneus (L.) was the only one which lived and went on growing for 2 or 3 years and Boettger2 considered it to be unique among German freshwater pulmonates in having this length of life, while Frömming3 allowed it up to 4 years. Recently, I4 have investigated a population of Lymnaea stagnalis (L.) in Scotland which has a biennial cycle, but unpublished observtions that I have made indicate that in the south of England this species may be annual as claimed by Boycott1. No definite information seems to be available about the length of life of P. corneus in natural conditions as distinct from aquaria where it has been reported to live for up to 6 years2,5.
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References
Boycott, A. E., J. Anim. Ecol., 5, 116 (1936).
Boettger, C. R., in Grimpe, G., and Wagler, E., Die Tierwelt der Nordund Ostsee, 35, 9, 241 (Leipzig Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Becker and Erler Kom.-Ges., 1944).
Frömming, E., Biologie der mitteleuropäischen Susswasserschnecken (Duncker and Humblot, Berlin, 1956).
Berrie, A. D. (in preparation).
Oldham, C., J. Conch., 18, 298 (1929).
Hunter, W. R., Proc. Roy. Soc. Edin., B, 65, 84 (1953).
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BERRIE, A. Life-cycle of Planorbarius corneas (L.). Nature 198, 805–806 (1963). https://doi.org/10.1038/198805a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/198805a0
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