Euchondrus
Euchondrus is a genus of very small air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Enidae. Distribution. The snails in this genus are of levantine distribution, which includes Cyprus, Turkey, Syria, Israel and Jordan. Shell description. The gastropod shell of "Euchondrus" is 6.5–13 mm in height in "Euchondrus parreyssi", that has very variable size in "Euchondrus". The shell is elongate with 5-7 whorls and a high spire. The aperture is toothed. Ecology. This snail species lives in open habitats, under limestone rocks in the desert. Three species of "Euchondrus" in the Negev desert are noted  for eating lichens growing under the surface limestone rocks and slabs (endolithic lichens). They disrupt and eat the limestone. Their grazing resulting in the weathering of the stones, and the subsequent formation of soil. They have a significant effect on the region: the total population of snails is estimated to process between 0.7 and 1.1 metric ton per hectare per year of limestone in the Negev desert. Species. Species within the genus "Euchondrus" include: