The First Finding of Cepaea nemoralis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Helicidae) in Donbass and the Phenetic Structure of the Identified Colony

The phenetic composition of a Cepaea nemoralis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Helicidae) colony found in a high-rise residential area in the center of Donetsk in 2022 has been described. The colony area is 2.5 ha, the population density reaches 15 ind./m(2), and the age is not less than 10 years. The colony was clearly dominated by the individuals with pink ground coloration (81.5%) and a single central band on 64.7% of yellow-colored and 76.8% of pink-colored shells. The distinctive feature of the Donetsk colony was the absence of bandless shells and the shells with reduced single, two, four, or five bands. In the case of the five-banded shells, a tendency to predomination of the phenotypes with merged bands is observed, the relative frequency of them being 69.7%. Dominant morphs are the morphs with F(45) (13.2%) and F(23) (12.8%) band fusion patterns. The colony is characterized by a relatively high degree of polymorphism (mu = 4.78 +/- 0.039) and the proportion of rare morphs (h +/- S-h = 0.47 +/- 0.026) and shows no similarity to the colonies in Eastern Europe available for meta-analysis. Probably, C. nemoralis will remain one of the elements of the urban fauna, with no tendency to expansion into the natural communities.

Automated summary

This study describes the phenetic composition of a Cepaea nemoralis colony found in a high-rise residential area in Donetsk in 2022. The colony exhibits a high degree of polymorphism and is dominated by individuals with pink ground coloration. Compared to other colonies in Eastern Europe, the Donetsk colony shows unique characteristics and shows no tendency to expand into natural communities.