Helix Aspersa

Helix aspersa, known by the common name garden snail, is a species of land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Helicidae, the typical snails. This species is one of the best-known of all terrestrial molluscs.

The species has been placed in the genus Helix, in all sources between 1774 and 1988, and in most sources until quite recently. But in a number of sources since 1990, this species has been placed in one of three other genera, depending on the classification in relation to Helix aperta and on the accepted interpretation of the ICZN Code's Article 1.3.2 for the Cornu problem. For those who regard Cornu as available the name can be Cornu aspersum (if they do not like to classify it in Helix). Those who do not regard Cornu as available, and do not like to classify the species in Helix, can select between Cantareus aspersus (this is the option for those who classify Helix aperta in the same genus as Helix aspersa, as was done by Italian research teams and others) and Cryptomphalus aspersus (for those who like to classify the two species in different genera, as was done by Ukrainian and Russian research teams).

Although this species is edible, it is often regarded simply as a pest in gardens and to agriculture, especially where it has been accidentally introduced. It is native to the Mediterranean area and western Europe, but has been spread by humans, both deliberately and accidentally, to numerous areas all over the world.