Flitwick Moor revisited: field meeting 26th April 2011

A Conchological Society field trip to Flitwick Moor, an important wetland and Wildlife Trust reserve in Bedfordshire , in June 2010, yielded some interesting records (Topley, 2010). But it was an earlier record (1968) from this site of the greater pellucid glass snail,  Phenacolimax major,  that prompted a return visit at a time of year when this species, if present, might be active. Six of us met on a fine day in April and proceeded to look in some likely habitats, including under logs and leaves on the edge of Alder carr (figure 1). P. major  is a difficult species to find and Flitwick Moor is outside its main area of U.K. distribution in the west and south of England, so it is perhaps not surprising that this species was not found on the day (although in itself this does not rule out its existence at the site). Several other species were found on this occasion that were not observed in 2010, including both British species of Zonitoides living within a few metres of each other: Z. nitidus on the edge of the carr and Z. excavatus under logs in a dryer area nearby.  Other species not recorded on the previous trip were Arion distinctus, Carychium tridentatum (figure 2), Deroceras laeve (figure 3) and Punctum pygmaeum.

_Reference

_{Topley, P.(2010) Field meeting to Flitwick Moor, Bedfordshire, 12^th June 2010. Mollusc World 24, 18.}

_{figure 1: Brian Eversham, Alan Outen and David Long, near Alder carr area at Flitwick Moor.}

_{(Photo: Peter Topley)}

_{figure 2: C. tridentatum,  Flitwick Moor.}

_{(Photo: Peter Topley)}

_{figure 3: D. laeve, Flitwick Moor.}                  

_{(photo: Ron Boyce)}