Shining Ram’s-horn Snail Segmentina nitida

The Shining Ram’s-horn Snail (Segmentina nitida) is one of Britain’s rarest aquatic snails, associated with clean, shallow, plant-rich ditches and grazing marsh drainage systems in areas with long-undisturbed hydrology. It has declined severely due to drainage improvements, deteriorating water quality, and changes in ditch management. Suffolk’s coastal grazing marshes – particularly in the Waveney Valley, the Alde–Ore levels, and the Minsmere area – provide some of the most important remaining habitat for this species in Britain. Maintaining stable water levels, clean water, and abundant submerged aquatic vegetation through sensitive ditch management is essential for its survival. Image: © Mgreilhuber, iNaturalist.

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