Snails in the strip lynchets at Worth Matravers, Dorset: a fauna in calcareous grassland

The snail fauna of the strip lynchets on grazed calcareous grassland at Worth Matravers was studied by quantitative extraction of shells from the flatter treads and steeper risers of the lynchets, distinguishing between fresh and long dead specimens. Treads held a poor fauna dominated by just three “xerophile” species. The fresh and long dead samples differed little. On the risers, the fauna was richer and held more shells overall, while the long-dead assemblages differed slightly from the fresh ones. Comparison with other studies of present and prehistoric assemblages on calcareous grassland shows that we are far from a complete understanding of differences in faunas from what appear to be similar habitats.