Bithynia leachii

Short description: Species of gastropod

Bithynia leachii

A live Bithynia leachii

Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]

Extinct (IUCN 3.1)[2]

Scientific classification
Kingdom:  | Animalia
Phylum:  | Mollusca
Class:  | Gastropoda
Subclass:  | Caenogastropoda
Order:  | Littorinimorpha
Superfamily:  | [[Biology:|Rissooidea]]
Family:  | Bithyniidae
Genus:  | Bithynia
Species:  |

B. leachii

Binomial name
Bithynia leachii

(Sheppard, 1823)[3]

Synonyms

* Bithynia leachi (Sheppard, 1823)
* Codiella leachii Sheppard, 1823

Bithynia leachii is species of small freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic prosobranch gastropod mollusk in the family Bithyniidae.

## Contents

* 1 Distribution
* 2 Shell description
* 3 Habitat
* 4 Parasites
* 5 References
* 6 External links

## Distribution

It is a Palearctic species found in North Africa and Europe to East Siberia.

* Czech Republic – near Morava River and near Thaya river in the southernmost Moravia near Hlohovec, Kostice and Tvrdonice,[4][5] critically endangered (CR)[6]
* Germany – high endangered (Stark gefährdet)[7]
* Netherlands[8]
* Poland
* Slovakia – in Danube drainage basin (mainly in Žitný ostrov) and in Tisza drainage basin[5]
* Sweden
* Great Britain
* Ireland
* Hungary[9]

## Shell description

The width of the shell is 3–7 mm. The height of the shell is 4–8 mm. The colour is brown or grey. There are 4 to 4.5 very convex whorls forming a short cone with a very deep suture in comparison to Bithynia tentaculata. The spire is shorter and less sharp than in Bithynia tentaculata. The aperture and operculum upside are smoothly rounded. The aperture is without a sharp point on the upper corner.[10]

Shells of Bithynia leachii | Drawing of shell and operculum of Bithynia leachii | Operculum of Bithynia leachii

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## Habitat

This species requires clean, calcium-rich water, which is slow-running and thickly weeded.[11]

## Parasites

Parasites of Bithynia leachii include:

* Prosthogonimidae: Bithynia leachii can act as first intermediate host for Prosthogonimus ovatus.[12]
* Opisthorchiidae: Bithynia leachii serves as the first intermediate host for Opisthorchis felineus.[13]

## References

1. ↑ Vavrova, L.; Cianfanelli, S.; Prié, V.; Georgiev, D.; Ghamizi, M. (2025). "Bithynia leachii" (in en). IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-2.RLTS.T155649A283591931.en. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/155649/283591931. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
2. ↑ Van Damme, D.; Ghamizi, M. (2025). "Bithynia leachii (Northern Africa assessment)" (in en). IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-2.RLTS.T155649A283500626.en. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/155649/283500626. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
3. ↑ Sheppard R. (1823). "Descriptions of seven new British land and fresh-water shells, with observations upon many other species, including a list of such as have been found in the county of Suffolk". Transactions of the Linnean Society of London 14 (1): 148–170 [152]. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.1823.tb00087.x. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/752517.
4. ↑ Beran L.; Horsák M. (2009). "Distribution of Bithynia leachii (Sheppard, 1823) and Bithynia troschelii (Paasch, 1842) (Gastropoda: Bithyniidae) in the Czech Republic". Malacologica Bohemoslovaca 8: 19–23. doi:10.5817/MaB2009-8-19. http://mollusca.sav.sk/pdf/8/8.Beran-Horsak.pdf.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Horsák M.; Juřičková L.; Beran L.; Čejka T.; Dvořák L. (2010). "Komentovaný seznam měkkýšů zjištěných ve volné přírodě České a Slovenské republiky". Malacologica Bohemoslovaca Suppl. 1: 1–37. doi:10.5817/MaB2010-9-s1-v2. http://mollusca.sav.sk/pdf/9/Suppl-1-v2.pdf.
6. ↑ "Red List of the molluscs (Mollusca) of the Czech Republic". http://mollusca.sav.sk/malacology/redlist.htm.
7. ↑ Glöer P.; Meier-Brook C. (2003). Süsswassermollusken. DJN. pp. 134, 106. ISBN 3-923376-02-2.
8. ↑ "Bithynia leachii". http://www.anemoon.org/anm/voorlopige-kaarten/kaarten-per-soort/zoetwatermollusken/wetenschappelijk/bithynia-leachii/.
9. ↑ Glöer P.; Fehér Z. (2004). "Bithynia leachii (Sheppard, 1823) and Bithynia troschelii (Paasch, 1842) in Hungary (Prosobranchia: Bithyniidae)". Annales historico-naturales Musei nationalis hungarici 96: 285–297.
10. ↑ "Species summary for Bithynia leachii". 26 October 2013. http://www.animalbase.uni-goettingen.de/zooweb/servlet/AnimalBase/home/species?id=2067.
11. ↑ Horst Janus (1965). The young specialist looks at land and freshwater molluscs. London: Burke.
12. ↑ "Prosthogonimus ovatus as Bithynia leachei [sic"]. http://wildlife1.wildlifeinformation.org/S/0zAPlat_Trematod/Plag_Hapl_Prosthogonimus/Prosthogonimus_ovatus.htm.
13. ↑ Gajadhar A. A. (2015). Foodborne Parasites in the Food Supply Web: Occurrence and Control. Woodhead Publishing. p. 297. ISBN 978-1-78242-350-8. https://books.google.com/books?id=9EidBAAAQBAJ.

## External links

* "Bithynia leachii Species account and photograph". http://www.habitas.org.uk/molluscireland/species.asp?ID=45.

Wikidata ☰ Q3202448 entry

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