Rabah Larba and Noureddine Soltani
A survey of terrestrial gastropods was carried out monthly in three sites located in the Northeast Algeria (El Hadjar, Sidi Kaci, El Kala) during the period of February 2010 January 2011. The sites were chosen according to their proximity of factories and other potential sources of pollution. Totally 8463 individuals were collected and 14 species identified (12 species of snails and 2 species of slugs) belonging to six families: Milacidae, Helicidae, Subulinidae, Cochlicellidae, Enidae and Hygromidae. Among the species identified 4 are constant: Helix aspersa (Müller, 1774), Otala lactea (Müller, 1774), Trochoidea elegans (Gmelin, 1791), Rumina decollate (Linnaeus, 1758), 3 are accessory: Helix aperta (Born, 1778), Helicella virgata (Da Costa, 1780) and Theba pisana (Müller, 1774), and 7 are accidental: Cepaea vendobonensis (Ferussac, 1821), Zebrina detrita (Müller, 1774), Dupotetia A zonata (Pallary, 1926), Cochlicella barbara (Linnaeus, 1758), Milax gagates (Draparnaud, 1801), Milax nigricans (Phillipi, 1836), Cepaea nemoralis (Linnaeus, 1758). The specific richness of the gastropod species was found to vary between sites and by season. General seasonal peak was recorded during Spring and Winter while the lowest abundance observed during Summer. Helix aspersa is the most abundant species in all prospected sites and will be used as a bioindicator of soil pollution.
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