Identification

Planogyra asteriscus is commonly known as the eastern whorl snail. More than 90000 living species of mollusca exist today. This particular species is terrestrial meaning it has a lung cavity where gas exchange occurs. It also has a calcium carbonate shell for protection (Winslow, 1926). The shell, as seen below, is light brown and translucent, which is a sign that it lives in shady habitats (Badra, 2008).They have 4 whorls, thinly lined ribs, and an umbilicus that is moderately large (has a wide space on the under side of the spiral) (Tryon, 1866). Eastern whorl snails are very small, and measure less than 2 mm in diameter.