Identification guides for terrestrial molluscs

As I will rabbit on to you if you stay still, I went on a Snail Course last year run by mollusc guru June Chatfield. She recommended the above fold-out guide. Although it's "just pictures" I think it's an excellent way of getting an overview of all the shell shapes you'll encounter. You'd want to go to one of the books below to check your identification. But snail identification isn't supposed to be a trial, it's actually quite enjoyable really. This guide is a great first stop, and it's only £3 pounds including postage from the Conchological Society of GB + Ireland.

Another good place to start is the free downloadable key from Bristol Environmental Records Centre (BRERC). I can print you one off if you like. This is really useful because it only includes species that you'll find in this area. It's also got clear information about how to measure your shell and count its whorls. If you remember, showing that you can use a dichotomous key is part of your assessment, and if you write down your path through the booklet this will certainly do the job. I do have reservations about a couple of the couplets (I can show you which ones) - but if you check your identification with other sources (always a sensible thing) then this shouldn't be a problem.

 CC image by Didier Descouens

The main book I would recommend is Land Snails in the British Isles, by Cameron and Riley. At £9.00 it's quite cheap. It has a pictorial key which helps you recognise the families, and then a dichotomous key to reach the species. I've bought lots of copies so do come and borrow one.

An alternative book to try is The Young Specialist looks at Land and Freshwater Molluscs by Horst Janus. I know the title is fairly ridiculous (it's also been published as 'the illustrated guide to molluscs') but I really like it - there are drawings from various angles, and the descriptions can be helpfully subtley different from Cameron. I've got a copy you can try, and they're not very expensive second-hand. I rather like the introduction and its suggestions for collecting. The only problem is that the names are out of date (though I've scribbled newer ones all over my copy).

If you're bemused that you can't find anything on your species, it's possible it's changed name. If you look on the Natural History Museum's database you'll be able to check the latest version.

It can be nice to have a reliably identified photograph for reassuring you once you've got an identification via the key.  Naturally you could just google the Latin name, but not everyone is a Snail Expert, and you need to feel confident you're looking at the right thing. I'll keep looking for reliable UK resources, but at the moment I suggest MolluscIreland. There are also lots of snail photos on AnimalBase (this page shows Trochulus hispidus, the hairy snail).

Also interesting are the lists by habitat found at The Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland, but unfortunately they are bare lists without any details or photos of the species.

You can also read my suggestions for identifying freshwater species.