A possible phoretic relationship between snails and amphibians

Abstract

We describe five observations of possible phoretic relationship between snails and amphibians in southwestern Poland: two individuals of European tree frog Hyla arborea (Linnaeus, 1758) with juvenile snails attached to various parts of their bodies, common toad Bufo bufo (Linnaeus, 1758) with copse snail Arianta arbustorum (Linnaeus, 1758), pair of common toads in amplexus with two individuals of Balea sp. or Laciniaria plicata (Draparnaud, 1801), and common toad with succineid species eggs and developing snail embryos attached to them. These are the first such observations ever.