New Colony of Rare Tower Snail Discovered in Alūksne Region
The Latvian State Forests (LVM) has identified a previously unknown colony of the large tower snail (Ena montana) in Liepna Parish, Alūksne Municipality – a strictly protected and critically endangered species in Latvia.
A new finding of the large tower snail (Ena montana) has been confirmed in Liepna Parish, Alūksne Municipality, according to AS "Latvijas valsts meži" (LVM). The species is strictly protected in Latvia and classified as critically endangered.
The discovery was made by an LVM environmental planning specialist. Dianna Marga from LVM noted that the site is located relatively far from previously known habitats, expanding the understanding of the species' distribution in Latvia. It also imposes a responsibility to preserve the natural values of the area.
The tower snail inhabits natural, minimally disturbed forests, typically old deciduous woodlands with rich ground cover and diverse structure – areas where ecosystem dynamics remain largely unaffected by human activity. The presence of such species is often an indicator of high environmental quality.
Despite its name, the large tower snail is quite small – its shell measures only 14–17 mm in height and 6–7 mm in width. The shell is brown, egg-shaped conical, with 7–8 moderately flattened whorls. It feeds on plant debris, fungi, and lichens.
