Vertigo alpestris is a species of small, air-breathing land snail, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs or micromollusks in the family Vertiginidae, the whorl snails.MolluscaBase eds. (2023). MolluscaBase. Vertigo alpestris Alder, 1838. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1050658 on 2023-02-07
Subspecies † Vertigo alpestris tobieni Schlickum & Strauch, 1979 Vertigo alpestris uturyotoensis Kuroda & Hukuda, 1944
Shell description
The shell is subcylindrical, thin and semitransparent, closely and rather strongly striate in the line of growth. Its color is very glossy, a pale yellowish-horn-color. The periphery is rounded: epidermis thin. The shell has 4½ convex whorls, but slightly compressed. The spire is short, abrupt and bluntly pointed. The suture is excessively deep.
The shell aperture is semioval and subangular, owing to the outward compression of the periphery. The aperture has 4 teeth: one sharp and prominent tooth on the middle of the pillar [parietal wall], one strong and also prominent and thick tooth on the pillar lip, and two lamellae or plate-like teeth which are placed at some little distance within the outer lip, but not on any rib or callous fold as in Vertigo pygmaea. The labial teeth are visible on the outside, owing to the thinness and transparency of the shell. The outer lip is rather thick and very slightly reflected, not strengthened by any rib either outside or inside. The outer edge is abruptly reflected. The inner lip is somewhat thickened in adult specimen. The umbilicus is small and narrow, but rather deep.
The width of the adult shell is 0.9-1.1 mm, the height is 1.6-2.15 mm.Species summary for Vertigo alpestris. AnimalBase, accessed 23 June 2009.
Distribution This species occurs in countries and islands including: Bulgaria Czech Republic Poland Slovakia UkraineBalashov I. & Gural-Sverlova N. 2012. An annotated checklist of the terrestrial molluscs of Ukraine. Journal of Conchology. 41 (1): 91-109. Great Britain Hungary
References This article incorporates public domain text from the referencePilsbry H. A. & Cooke C. M. 1918-1920. Manual of Conchology. Second series: Pulmonata. Volume 25. Pupillidae (Gastrocoptinae, Vertigininae). Philadelphia. page 197.
Bank, R. A.; Neubert, E. (2017). Checklist of the land and freshwater Gastropoda of Europe. Last update: July 16, 2017 Sysoev, A. V. & Schileyko, A. A. (2009). Land snails and slugs of Russia and adjacent countries. Sofia/Moskva (Pensoft). 312 pp., 142 plates.
External links
Distribution of Vertigo alpestris at European Environment Agency webpage Alder, J. (1838). Supplement to a catalogue of the land and fresh-water Testaceous Mollusca, found in the vicinity of Newcastle. Transactions of the Natural History Society of Northumberland, Durham and Newcastle upon Tyne. 2:337-342. Pfeiffer, L. (1847). Diagnosen neuer Landschnecken. Zeitschrift für Malakozoologie. Cassel (Theodor Fischer). 4 (10): 145-151 Gredler, V. M. (1856). Tirols Land- und Süßwasser-Conchylien I. Die Landconchylien. Verhandlungen der Kaiserlich-königlichen Zoologisch-botanischen Gesellschaft in Wien. 6: 25–162. Wien