Forest chrysalis snail

Similar to Pupilla fontana, but possessing only one distinct tooth within adult aperture, a narrow in-running ridge on parietal wall below its junction with outer lip; an additional weak angulation may be evident in middle of columella in adults, in juveniles this appears as a much stronger pleat spiralling up columella; occasionally also with a slight thickening of outer lip, just below level of parietal tooth; usually of fewer whorls (upto 6) than P. fontana and with body whorl larger relative to spire and weaker sculpture; umbilicus open, width variable. Translucent buff to pale ochre-brown. Length up to 3.3 mm. Head-foot greyish, darker dorsally; upper tentacles with swollen tips.
From Cape Peninsula to Limpopo Province; in the eastern region found at mid and higher altitudes (mostly 1,000-1,700 m), from the Umtata area and KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, inland to the Drakensberg foothills; in leaf-litter and on tree trunks in mist-belt and montane Podocarpusforests; common. Fertilised eggs are retained within the oviduct and the adults 'give birth' to crawling young. By comparison with the adult, the dev¬eloping juveniles are huge (1.5-2.0 whorls, diameter up to 0.8 mm) and can be brooded only a few at a time. Two or three, at various stages of development, may be seen through the transparent shell.