common bubble snail vs lizard crystalwort

Akera bullata compared with Riccia bifurca

Key Differences

• common bubble snail is Least Concern while lizard crystalwort is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	common bubble snail	lizard crystalwort
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Marchantiophyta (liverwort)
Class	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)	Marchantiopsida (Marchantiopsida)
Order	Aplysiida (Aplysiida)	Marchantiales (Marchantiales)
Family	Akeridae	Ricciaceae
Genus	Akera	Riccia
Species	Akera bullata	Riccia bifurca

Conservation Status

common bubble snail

LC — Least Concern

lizard crystalwort

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	common bubble snail	lizard crystalwort
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

common bubble snail

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden.

lizard crystalwort

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, tundra, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests spanning the Australasia and Oceanian realms.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (5 countries), North America (United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

common bubble snail

The common bubble snail (<em>Akera bullata</em>) is a marine gastropod mollusc found in the coastal waters of Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden. This species typically inhabits terrestrial and aquatic environments including forests and freshwater-adjacent marine areas, often occurring in shallow subtidal and intertidal zones of temperate European seas. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. As a member of the family Akeridae, the common bubble snail is characterized by its thin, fragile shell and its ability to swim briefly by flapping its large, wing-like parapodia. The species often forages on algae and detritus in sandy and muddy seafloor habitats, particularly in sheltered bays and estuaries. The common bubble snail typically aggregates in large numbers during the spawning season, producing gelatinous egg masses. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden