New species of snail finds home after 100 years in hiding
SOURCE: The Times (8-21-08)
It has taken 110 years to cover 27 painstaking metres, but one of Britain's most recently discovered species has finally found a home.
Papillifera papillaris - a type of Italian snail - arrived in England near the end of the 19th century, having hitched a ride on a stone balustrade imported from Rome. It then disappeared.
A colony of the tiny snails, which have distinctive spindle-shaped shells 11mm long, has now been found on the “tortoise fountain” in the Italian-style gardens of the Cliveden Estate, Buckinghamshire.
The visitors were discovered by volunteers who were cleaning statues in the formal gardens of the mansion, which today is a hotel.
Papillifera papillaris - a type of Italian snail - arrived in England near the end of the 19th century, having hitched a ride on a stone balustrade imported from Rome. It then disappeared.
A colony of the tiny snails, which have distinctive spindle-shaped shells 11mm long, has now been found on the “tortoise fountain” in the Italian-style gardens of the Cliveden Estate, Buckinghamshire.
The visitors were discovered by volunteers who were cleaning statues in the formal gardens of the mansion, which today is a hotel.
Source:
The Times
Source URL:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article4575990.ece
Date:
8-21-08
