clublike door snail vs common door snail

Clausilia pumila compared with Clausilia bidentata

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	clublike door snail	common door snail
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Mollusca (Mollusks)
Class same	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)
Order same	Stylommatophora (Stylommatophora)	Stylommatophora (Stylommatophora)
Family same	Clausiliidae	Clausiliidae
Genus same	Clausilia	Clausilia
Species	Clausilia pumila	Clausilia bidentata

Evolutionary Relationship

clublike door snail and common door snail share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Clausilia.

Conservation Status

clublike door snail

LC — Least Concern

common door snail

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	clublike door snail	common door snail
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

clublike door snail

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Italy, Norway, Sweden, and Ukraine.

common door snail

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

clublike door snail

Clausilia pumila, the clublike door snail, is a land snail in the family Clausiliidae, a group readily recognized by their sinistral (left-handed) coiling and elongated, spindle-shaped shells. C. pumila has a smooth, glossy shell approximately 12–18 mm in height, tapering to a slender apex, with fine growth lines and a distinctive clausilium—a small, spring-loaded plate inside the aperture that closes when the snail retreats. This clausilium gives the family its common name of door snails. The species is distributed across central and eastern Europe, from Germany and the Czech Republic eastward through Poland and neighboring countries, inhabiting moist deciduous forests, especially beech and mixed woodland with rich ground flora. It is typically found on limestone or calcareous substrates, living under bark, in leaf litter, on mossy rocks and rotting logs, and occasionally on living tree bark. Like other clausiliids, it is a microphytophage, rasping algae, fungi, and decaying plant material from surfaces. C. pumila is classified as Least Concern, being locally common across its range where suitable humid forest habitats persist.

common door snail

<em>Clausilia bidentata</em>, the common door snail, is a terrestrial gastropod mollusk in the family Clausiliidae. This species is distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, where it typically inhabits moist terrestrial environments including deciduous woodlands, rocky slopes, hedgerows, and the margins of freshwater habitats. The common door snail is recognized by its elongated, sinistral (left-handed) shell, which is a distinctive trait of the family Clausiliidae. The shell is typically brown to gray and reaches approximately 12–15 millimeters in length. <em>Clausilia bidentata</em> generally feeds on algae, lichens, fungi, and decaying plant material by rasping food with a radula. It often shelters under bark, stones, and leaf litter during dry or cold conditions. Like many clausiliids, it possesses a complex internal shell structure called a clausilium that closes the shell aperture to reduce desiccation. The species is assessed as Least Concern, reflecting stable populations across its European range. Detailed biological traits beyond those noted here are not extensively documented in the current scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden