Variability of the Phenotypic Composition of Cepaea hortensis (Gastropoda, Helicidae) in Western Ukraine: in Space and Time

Abstract

The variability of the phenotypic composition of the introduced land snail Cepaea hortensis was analyzed in 6 groups of samples (in total, more than 31 thousand specimens), differing in spatial location or collection time. The results obtained confirmed the considerable uniformity of this composition, which has not yet been significantly influenced by the relatively recent repeated introductions of C. hortensis associated with the activity of garden centers and contributing to an increase in phenotypic richness at separate, still very spatially limited sites. The Western Ukrainian populations of C. hortensis are characterized by low values of the inbreeding coefficient, caused by a common origin and quite possibly by climatic selection favoring unbanded shells.