Braune Nadelschnecke vs Kleines Wintergrün

Acicula fusca compared with Pyrola minor

Key Differences

• Braune Nadelschnecke is Extinct while Kleines Wintergrün is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Braune Nadelschnecke	Kleines Wintergrün
Kingdom	Animalia (Tier)	Plantae (Pflanzen)
Phylum	Mollusca (Weichtiere)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Gastropoda (Schnecken)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Architaenioglossa (Architaenioglossa)	Ericales (Heidekrautartige)
Family	Aciculidae	Ericaceae
Genus	Acicula	Pyrola
Species	Acicula fusca	Pyrola minor

Conservation Status

Braune Nadelschnecke

EX — Extinct

Kleines Wintergrün

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Braune Nadelschnecke	Kleines Wintergrün
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Braune Nadelschnecke

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium and Norway.

Kleines Wintergrün

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and boreal forests and taiga, among 4 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found across Europe (7 countries) and North America (Canada, United States). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Braune Nadelschnecke

The Brown Point Snail (Acicula fusca) is a species in the genus Acicula. It is currently classified as Extinct on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Kleines Wintergrün

<em>Pyrola minor</em>, commonly known as the common wintergreen or lesser wintergreen, is a small evergreen perennial herb in the family Ericaceae, listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, reflecting severe and ongoing population declines driven primarily by habitat loss, succession of open woodland habitats, and changes in land management practices across its native range. The species occurs in Europe and North America, typically growing in acidic, humus-rich soils in boreal and montane coniferous or mixed woodlands, heathland, and mossy habitats. <em>Pyrola minor</em> is characterized by its rosette of dark, glossy, rounded evergreen basal leaves and a leafless flowering scape bearing a dense raceme of small, nodding, pale pink to white bell-shaped flowers produced in summer. The species requires mycorrhizal associations with soil fungi for successful establishment and growth, making it highly sensitive to disturbances that disrupt fungal networks in the soil. Unlike most of its congeners, <em>Pyrola minor</em> has an unsegmented, short, straight style protruding from each flower, a key distinguishing character. Biological traits including average lifespan, rosette diameter, and mass remain poorly documented in standardized databases. Conservation of <em>Pyrola minor</em> typically requires careful habitat management to maintain suitable open woodland and heathland conditions, prevent encroachment by taller vegetation, and preserve the intact soil fungal communities upon which this increasingly rare species depends.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway