Verspreiding van drie slakken van de Habitatrichtlijn in Nederland

Desmoulins whorl snail Vertigo moulinsiana, the Narrow-mouthed whorl snail Vertigo angustior, and the Ramshorn snail Anisus vorticulus, are the Annex II species within the European Habitats Directive that occur in the Netherlands. This means that the habitats of these snails in the Netherlands must be protected. ‘Habslak’ projects have been carried out since 2004, to determine more precisely where these species occur in the Netherlands. This report documents current information on the distribution of the three species in the Netherlands. Many new populations were discovered: in particular, Vertigo moulinsiana has a much wider distribution than was previously recognized. Subsequent papers in this issue of Spirula describe the current protection status of these species, and habitat conservation measures are recommended to maintain and expand the present populations.