Helix (Helix) philibinensis Rossmässler, 1839

Figs 25, 26

References.

Neubert 2014; Korábek et al. 2022.

Description.

Shell (Fig. 25) small, globular or slightly conical; body whorl expanded but bent downwards, so the aperture is relatively small; no umbilicus; protoconch middle-sized, but relatively large to shell size, making the apex blunt; shell surface with some growth lines but quite smooth; shell colour is whitish to pale brown; bands variously developed, brown on brown shells and with red or purple hue on whitish shells; all bands often separate on older whorls but may fuse towards the aperture; aperture margins straight, usually brown to some degree at least at the columella which may be very dark. Foot (Fig. 26) pale grey with dark brown back.

Distribution and habitat.

Distributed from Lake Prespa (northwestern Greece) to the island of Thasos (northeastern Greece) (Fig. 27). The southernmost populations occur on Chalkidiki (the base of the peninsula) and in the south of Western Macedonia (by Servia). In the north, it reaches almost to Skopje in North Macedonia and to Plovdiv in Bulgaria. The core of the range is in Central Macedonia, elsewhere the distribution is highly fragmented. Typically living in open, shrubby habitats, often on rocky slopes, but sometimes found even on forested valley bottoms. It appears to be indifferent to bedrock, as we found it on limestones, but also on granite and gneiss. Though typically resting on the ground, we saw it climbing onto vegetation during rain.