Bug Wiki
Bug Wiki / All bugs / Snails, slugs and worms
Sticker of Glossy pillar
Bug card No. 1923 of 4,939

Glossy pillar

Cochlicopa lubrica
Eats: PlantsSnails, slugs and wormsGardens and meadowsNo legsNot an insect, but a bug cousin

The glossy pillar is a tiny land snail with a tall, shiny shell shaped like a little pillar. The shell is honey yellow to reddish brown. The snail inside is grey or blackish with dark feelers.

Fun fact: this one is not an insect at all, it has no legs! But kids find it on every bug hunt, so it lives in Bug Wiki too.
Lives in
Europe, and also parts of Asia and North America
Length
2.4 to 2.9 mm (0.09 to 0.11 in)
the width of the shell
Top speed
about 0.01 km/h (0.01 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. Wash your hands after touching any snail.
What does it eat?
Like many small land snails, it nibbles soft plant food.
For real!Photo of Glossy pillar
Picture by Michal Maňas. CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Glossy pillar about 2.9 mm long (0.11 in)A grain of rice about 6 mm (0.24 in)
2 of them in a row are as long as one grain of riceneeds 6 minutes to cross a dinner table

How big is Glossy pillar compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Its shell is only 5 to 7.5 millimetres tall.

2

The shell has 4 or 5 gently rounded turns.

3

It looks so much like a close cousin that even experts find them hard to tell apart.

you asked

Most asked questions about Glossy pillar

?How big is the glossy pillar snail?

Tiny, its shell is only 5 to 7.5 millimetres tall and under 3 millimetres wide.

?Why is it called the glossy pillar?

Because its shell is shiny and tall, like a little pillar.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Cochlicopa lubrica
Named by
Müller, 1774
Group
Snails, slugs and worms
Family
Cochlicopidae
Classification
Gastropoda > Stylommatophora > Cochlicopidae
Lives on
Europe, Asia, North America

Where the facts come from

  1. Cochlicopa lubrica (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Michal Maňas. CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

Bug Wiki honey jar For grown-ups: Bug Wiki is free, with no ads and no tracking. A small tip helps keep it online.Leave a tip

More from the same group: Snails, slugs and worms

Garden snailSnails, slugs and wormsGiant African land snailSnails, slugs and wormsLeopard slugSnails, slugs and wormsBladder snailSnails, slugs and wormsMedicinal leechSnails, slugs and wormsCommon earthwormSnails, slugs and worms

Also at home here: Gardens and meadows

Southern yellowjacketWasps and hornetsGallinipperFlies and mosquitoesCodling mothMothsNairobi flyBeetlesRed-tailed bumblebeeBees and bumblebeesCommon harvestmanScorpions, ticks and friends
Honey jarfor grown-ups