Mallorca

"The collection of mollusks found in the island’s mountains and valleys is not to be disdained: we find many of great interest here, an inventory of species which Mallorca shares with the not-so-distant Africa. Shortly after strong showers, Limax gagates and L. variegatus come out of their retirement, along with L. agrestis, so common in our fields, all accompanied by innumerable specimens from the Helix genus, which includes 24 species on Mallorca.

The largest of these are Helix aspersa, H. vermiculata and H. lactea, which are always found in large numbers as occurs with all its different varieties. Helix cariosula also abounds and is common in North Africa. On Mallorca it’s found primarily near Bellver Castle near Palma. No storm passes by without the beautiful H. compagnoni massively seeding rooftops in the city, feeding on the lichen covering the roofs.

And, lastly, on the southern slopes of the mountains we find the beautiful H. balearica which, due to the sinuous lines decorating its shells, the Mallorcans call the caragol de serp (“snake snail”). Here and there we can also see individual members of Bulimus acutus  and, in larger numbers, the fairly common, large B. decollatus whose shell tip is free of all mutilation. In the Clausilia and Pupa genuses we only find one species of each for the time being, C. virgata and P. umbilicata. The former is oftentimes found on rocks, commonly in the company of two Cyclostomata, Cyclostoma ferruginea, abundant on Puig de Randa and other peaks in the island interior, and C. elegans, much scarcer and tending to favor northern foothills in the moutain range."

Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria. Las Baleares por la palabra y el grabado. Majorca: General Part. Ed. Sa Nostra, Caja de Baleares. Palma de Mallorca. 1982.