Family Bradybaenidae
Asian Tramp Snail
Asian Tramp Snail
Bradybaena similaris (Férussac, 1821)
Size: 15mm diameter, 9- 11mm tall
Origin: Southeast Asia
Distribution: Southeast United States
Description: The shell is round with 5 whorls, and is polymorphic: brown or yellow, usually with a dark band running up the whorls tangent to the shoulder.
Distinguishing Features: Perforate, reflected. This snail can be either white, tan, or brown, and usually has a dark band.
Family Bulimulidae
Striped Rabdotus
Whitewashed Rabdotus
Whitewashed Rabdotus
Striped Rabdotus
Rabdotus alternatus (Say, 1830)
Size: 25mm tall
Origin: Native
Distribution: Southwest United States Habitat: prairie, limestone hills, riverbanks
Description: This shell is usually opaque pale white with faint stripes.
Whitewashed Rabdotus
Whitewashed Rabdotus
Whitewashed Rabdotus
Whitewashed Rabdotus
Rabdotus dealbatus (Say, 1830)
Size: 25mm tall
Origin: Native
Distribution: Southwest United States
Habitat: prairie, limestone hills, riverbanks
Description: Tall, conical shell with 5-6 whorls. Pale color with faint stripes.
Marie's Rabdotus
Whitewashed Rabdotus
Marie's Rabdotus
Marie's Rabdotus
R. alternatus mariae (Albers, 1850)
Size: 25mm tall
Origin: Native
Distribution: Southwest United States Habitat: prairie, mesquite hills
Description: This subspecies is usually pale white.
Family Discidae
Southeastern Tiger Snail
Southeastern Tigersnail
Anguispira strongylodes (Pfeiffer, 1854)
Size: 25mm diameter
Origin: Native
Distribution: Southeast United States
Habitat: Forest, wooded areas.
Description: A round, disc-shaped shell with lateral grooves and a rough texture. It is tan or cream-colored with reddish-brown flecks and dashes, hence the name "tiger snail."
Family Helicidae
Brown Garden Snail
Brown Garden Snail
Brown Garden Snail
Brown Garden Snail
Cornu aspersum* (Müller, 1774)
Size: 25-38 mm diameter
Origin: Europe, Mediterranean
Distribution: North America
Habitat: gardens, yards
Description: The globular shell is brown or tawny with dark bands with light flecks. The surface is finely wrinkled and covered with a film-like periostracum that tends to flake off with age.
Distinguishing Features: Imperforate, reflected, white lip.
* Formerly known as Helix Aspersa
Milk Snail
Brown Garden Snail
Brown Garden Snail
Milk Snail
Otala lactea (Müller, 1774)
Size: 25-30 mm diameter
Origin: Europe
Distribution: West Texas, Harris County
Habitat: gardens, shrubs, heavy vegetation
Description: The shell is milky white or cream colored, often with faint bands and fleck marks. Some forms have bold brown lateral bands and stripes.
Distinguishing Features: Imperforate, reflected, uniformly dark mouth.
This snail was once known as the Spanish Edible Snail
Family Helicinidae
Globular Drop Snail
Globular Drop
Olygyra orbiculata (Say, 1818)
Size: 8mm diameter, 8mm tall
Origin: Native
Distribution: Southeast United States
Habitat: Soil, leaf detritus, bushes, areas near water
Description: Round, spherical shell, sometimes with a light band encircling the whorls. Colors range from red, orange, yellow and white to brown, grey, and greenish. The eyes are located directly on the body. It has two tentacles and an operculum, but no eyestalks.
Family Polygyridae
Banded Scrub Snail
Vagrant Scrub Snail
Vagrant Scrub Snail
Banded Scrubsnail
Praticolella berlandieriana (Moricand, 1833)
Size: 10mm diameter, 8mm tall
Origin: Native
Distribution: Texas
Habitat: Prairie ecosystem
Description: A round, pale shell, usually with a faint band running along the side. The lip is squared at the shoulder and curls tightly to meet the shell.
Distinguishing Features: Perforate, squared aperture, reflected lip.
Vagrant Scrub Snail
Vagrant Scrub Snail
Vagrant Scrub Snail
Vagrant Scrubsnail
Praticolella griseola (Pfeiffer, 1841)
Size: 12mm diameter
Origin: Native
Distribution: Southeast United States
Habitat: Prairie ecosystem
Description: The shell is round and translucent. The color is gray with dark bands and flecked patterning.
Distinguishing Features: Perforate, reflected.
Lowland Pill Snail
Vagrant Scrub Snail
Lowland Pill Snail
Lowland Pillsnail
Euchemotrema leai aliciae
(A. Binney, 1841)
Size: 13mm diameter
Origin: Native
Distribution: Southeast United States
Habitat: Forest, wooded areas, near water.
Description: Round shell, usually brown and covered in stubble-like protrusions. The aperture has a single long parietal tooth.
Distinguishing Features: Fuzzy periostracum, perforate, irregular lip, elongate parietal tooth.
Southern Flatcoil
Grassland Liptooth
Lowland Pill Snail
Southern Flatcoil
Polygyra cereolus (Mühlfeld, 1816)
Size: 8mm diameter, 3mm tall
Origin: Native
Distribution: Southeast United States
Habitat: dead wood, gardens, shrubs, sides & bases of structures, dirt, soil, bushes, wet sidewalks.
Description: Round, flat shell, usually brown with dark flecks and fine grooves, much like a rope. The aperture is round with a single tooth, and the umbilicus is obvious.
Distinguishing Features: Perforate, reflected.
Grassland Liptooth
Grassland Liptooth
Grassland Liptooth
Grassland Liptooth
Millerelix mooreana (Binney, 1858)
Size: 10mm diameter
Origin: Native
Distribution: Texas
Habitat: dead wood, detritus, dirt & soil, under wood.
Description: Circular, short shell, usually tan, brown, or yellow-colored.
Distinguishing Features: Perforate, reflected.
This species is practically indistinguishable from the Texas Liptooth, Linisa texasiana (Moricand, 1833).
Texas Threetooth
Grassland Liptooth
Grassland Liptooth
Texas Threetooth
Triodopsis vultuosa (Gould, 1848)
Size: 12mm diameter
Origin: Native
Distribution: Texas
Habitat: dead wood, leaf detritus, dirt & soil; under wood.
Description: Circular, ribbed shell, dark brown periostracum. The parietal tooth is wedge-shaped.
Distinguishing Features: Perforate, reflected, 2 lip teeth, one parietal tooth.
White Lip Globe
White Lip Globe
White Lip Globe
White-lip Globe
Mesodon thyroidus (Say, 1817)
Size: 28mm diameter
Origin: Native
Distribution: Southeast United States
Habitat: Prairie conditions, wooded areas, creek beds.
Description: Round, sub-globose shell. The surface is usually yellowish-tan and finely ribbed.
Distinguishing Features: Perforate, reflected, single parietal tooth.
NOTE: The opaque periostracum pictured here is unusual. Shells of this snail are usually somewhat lighter and translucent.
Texas Oval
White Lip Globe
White Lip Globe
Texas Oval
Patera roemeri (Pfeiffer, 1848).
Size: 25mm diameter
Origin: Native
Distribution: Central & West Texas
Habitat: Forest, prairie, near water.
Description: Round, flat, sub-globose shell. The surface is tan and fairly smooth. The parietal tooth is usually present but often missing.
Distinguishing Features: Imperforate, reflected, single parietal tooth.
Yellow Globelet
White Lip Globe
Yellow Globelet
Yellow Globelet
Mesodon clausus (Say, 1821)
Size: 25mm diameter
Origin: Native
Distribution: Central & West Texas
Habitat: Forest, wooded areas, near water.
Description: Round, sub-globose shell. The surface is translucent and is finely ribbed.
Distinguishing Features: Perforate, reflected, NO parietal tooth.
Family Spiraxidae
Rosy Wolf Snail
Striate Wolf Snail
Striate Wolf Snail
Rosy Wolf Snail
Euglandina rosea (Férussac, 1821)
Size: 40-60mm
Origin: Southeastern United States, probably Florida
Distribution: Southeastern United States; Introduced to Hawaii in the 1950s
Habitat: Underbrush and wooded areas
Description: Conical shell, pinkish-brown or orange in color with lateral grooves.
Distinguishing Features: Conical, imperforate, NOT reflected. This snail is a predator that actively hunts smaller snails.
Striate Wolf Snail
Striate Wolf Snail
Striate Wolf Snail
Striate Wolf Snail
Euglandina singleyana (Binney, 1892)
Size: 25-40mm
Origin: Native
Distribution: Central Texas
Habitat: Underbrush in wooded areas
Description: Conical shell, pinkish-brown or orange in color with lateral grooves.
Distinguishing Features: Conical, imperforate, NOT reflected.
Family Subulinidae
Decollate Snail
Graceful Awl Snail
Graceful Awl Snail
Decollate Snail
Rumina decollata (Linnaeus, 1758)
Size: 25-40mm tall (shell)
Origin: Mediterranean region
Distribution: Central Texas & California
Habitat: prairie ecosystems, wooded areas, riverbanks
Description: This snail loses its apex, resulting in a broken look. This also affects the overall height of the shell. The shell is usually brown or tan, and the body is gray.
Distinguishing Features: Perforate, NOT reflected, missing apex. This species is carnivorous and eats other snails.
Graceful Awl Snail
Graceful Awl Snail
Graceful Awl Snail
Graceful Awlsnail
Allopeas gracile (Hutton, 1834)
Size: 12mm tall (shell)
Origin: Unknown
Distribution: Worldwide
Confirmed Location(s): Harris County, Industry, San Marcos River Habitat: unknown
Description: Tall, conical shell with 7-9 whorls whorls. Pale color with faint stripes. Live specimens are bright yellow and violet.
Distinguishing Features: conical, perforate, NOT reflected.
Family Succineidae
Amber Snail (various species)
Succinea & Oxyloma sp.
Size: 5-15mm tall
Origin: Native
Distribution: North America
Habitat: areas next to fresh water
Description: Extremely thin & fragile shell with a large aperture. Shells are pale white or translucent
Family Zonitidae
Perforate Dome
Perforate Dome
Ventridens demissus (Binney, 1847)
Size: 10- 12mm diameter, 5- 7mm tall
Origin: Native
Distribution: Southeast United States
Habitat: Soil, leaf detritus, bushes, areas near water
Description: Circular shell, glassy surface. Slick to the touch. There is often a pale slash on the ventral side near the aperture.
Distinguishing Features: Perforate, NOT reflected
Family Ampullariidae
Island Apple Snail
Island Apple Snail (FRESHWATER)
Pomacea insularum (d'Orbigny 1837).
Size: 70-80mm diameter, 80mm tall
Origin: Uruguay, Argentina
Distribution: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida
Habitat: Freshwater inlets, retention ponds, lakes, bayous, reservoirs
Description: The shell is rounded with a small apex. Large specimens are about the size of a baseball. The shell is usually green with dark stripes, and is often found with a thick coating of algae. It has an operculum. The body has two tentacles, a long pair of antennae, and a siphon. It lays pink eggs.
Distinguishing Features: Perforate, not reflected, operculate.
Family Physidae
Physella
Physella (FRESHWATER)
Physella sp.
Size: 5-10mm
Origin: Native
Distribution: Unknown
Habitat: Retention ponds, drainage ditches, creeks, reservoirs
Description: The shell is uniformly sinistral, with the aperture on the left side. It is usually a dark brown color, and the surface is quite smooth.
Distinguishing Features: Sinistral, imperforate, not reflected.
This snail can adjust its buoyancy and float on the surface of the water.
Family Thiaridae
Red Rim Melania
Red Rim Melania (FRESHWATER)
Melanoides tuberculatus (Müller, 1774)
Size: 20-30mm tall (shell).
Origin: Malaysia
Distribution: Worldwide
Habitat: Creeks, ditches, retention ponds
Description: The shell is tall and auger-shaped with about 9 whorls. The color is grayish-brown, with flecks of red or chestnut color. The apex is generally bleached white. The body is a ruddy color and has an operculum.
Distinguishing Features: Perforate, not reflected, operculate.
This snail travels from place to place on aquatic plants that are exported through the aquarium trade.
Family Limacidae
Garden Slug
Evening Field Slug
Evening Field Slug
Garden Slug
Limacus flavus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Size: 50-100mm
Origin: Europe
Distribution: Worldwide
Habitat: Wherever people are. Flower beds, yards, gardens. They prefer leaf detritus and rotting wood.
Description: This slug has slick, scaly-looking skin that is usually mottled with gray and green coloration.
Evening Field Slug
Evening Field Slug
Evening Field Slug
Evening Field Slug
Deroceras laeve (Müller, 1774)
Size: 25-40mm
Origin: Unknown
Distribution: Unknown
Habitat: Leaf detritus, rotting wood, soil, under flat surfaces. Often seen on wet sidewalks on warm nights.
Description: This slug is usually gray or brown in color. The head can stretch out far from the hood.
Family Veronicellidae
Black Velvet Leatherleaf
Black Velvet Leatherleaf
Belocaulus angustipes (Heynemann, 1885)
Size: 50+ mm long.
Origin: Unknown (probably exotic)
Distribution: Unknown (probably limited to urban areas)
Habitat: Leaf detritus, under rocks and wood.
Description: Flat, matte black body with a short hood over the eyestalks. The skin looks like dry velvet, but slimes to the touch. The dorsal side is black, the ventral is tan or yellow.