Bithynia leachii

Description

4-7mm. A conical but rounded aquatic snail, usually with just four swollen whorls and a relatively blunt tip. The aperture (mouth) is oval and has an operculum, though this is usually missing if viewing dead shells. The shell is usually light brown (old shells can be discoloured in sediment). Like its larger relative, Bithynia tentaculata, it has long tentacles that extend from the mouth when the animal is moving.

Identification difficulty

with a quality image

Recording advice

Images should show the side profile and the shell aperture. Also state the size.

Habitat

Larger, well-vegetated water bodies such as lakes, canals and ditches. Rarely found in ponds.

When to see it

All year.

UK Status

Relatively common.

VC55 Status

Uncommon or under-recorded.

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
Leach's Bithynia
Species group:
mollusc
Kingdom:
Animalia
Order:
Littorinimorpha
Family:
Bithyniidae
Records on NatureSpot:
4
First record:
29/01/2024 (Nicholls, David)
Last record:
14/03/2026 (Nicholls, David)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

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