MOLLUSCS AND EARTHWORM GRANULES FROM SAMPLE <182>, CONTEXT (9052), WALPOLE LANDFILL SITE (PWE11) Matt Law

For C & N Hollinrake Ltd., June 2013. Introduction and Methods A small land snail assemblage was reported during assessment of 200ml of the lowest fill (9052) of a large (?)grain storage pit from Walpole Landfill Site (Simmons 2013). The processed sample was rapidly scanned under a low power microscope at x40 magnification, and faunal remains extracted. Identifications were determined by reference to the authors own collection. Notes on the ecology of Mollusca were taken from Evans (1972), Kerney and Cameron (1979) and Davies (2008) Nomenclature for Mollusca follows Anderson 2008. Results Minimum number of individuals (MNI) values for land snails are given in Table 1, as well as counts of earthworm granules and other non-insect faunal remains. The assemblage has also been photographed (Appendix 1). Discus rotundatus was represented by two broken apices and two broken segments of body whorls, which could all be accounted for by two individuals. Aegopinella pura was represented by an intact juvenile shell. A fragment of body whorl of another large snail was judged to be one of the Clausiliidae. An internal plate of a juvenile slug (Limacidae sp.) was also recovered. One of the earthworm granules was of the banana-shaped form described by Canti (2006, 113) as typical of Lumbricus rubellus. Discussion Snails Molluscs from pits pose interpretative problems, as they may represent animals which enjoyed the shady micro-habitat of the pit itself or may be eroded from soils through which the pit has been cut (Allen 1989, 135). They may also have been accidentally introduced via human agency with vegetable matter. The fauna reflects a shaded environment Discus rotundatus and Aegopinella pura are both species of damp, shaded places, possibly woodland but at the very least tall herbage. As a family, the Limacidae are favoured by damp conditions and shade, although Agriolimax reticulatus can live in open country. The Clausiliidae are rupestral species which generally live on walls, rocks and trees, although they can also occur in dead leaves. Generally, they prefer shaded habitats. Although the land snail assemblage is small, it has a reasonable diversity, which is likely to suggest relatively stable conditions in the local environment. It is plausible that all of the snails recovered lived within the pit, however they are also likely to reflect damp, shaded conditions in the wider environment.

Earthworms Earthworm granules are small aggregations of calcite crystals which are secreted by living worms. Therefore the number of earthworm granules found in a deposit cannot be correlated to a number of individual earthworms. The burrowing nature of earthworms means that granules are unlikely to have been deposited at the same time as the sediment in which they are found. Their presence at Walpole may, however, be subject to some chronological constraint as this deposit is sealed by several metres of estuarine alluvium which has not thus far yielded earthworm granules. Lumbricus rubellus prefers rotting leaf litter (Canti 2006, 115). Conclusions and Statement of Potential Although the assemblage is too small to carry any real interpretative value, it appears to represent a damp, well shaded environment, certainly within the pit, and most likely within the local environment. Further molluscan analysis is likely to be productive, and is recommended for remaining samples from the pit.

References Allen, M.J., 1989. Land snails, in Fasham, P.J., Farwell, D.E., and Whinney, R.J.B, eds. The Archaeological Site at Easton Lane, Winchester . Salisbury: The Trust for Wessex Archaeology, pp. 134-140. Anderson, R., 2008. Annotated list of the non-marine Mollusca of Britain and Ireland. London: Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Available at: http://www.conchsoc.org/sites/default/files/MolluscWorld/Anderson2008.pdf [Accessed June 14th, 2013]. Canti, M.G., 2006. Deposition and taphonomy of earthworm granules in relation to their interpretative potential in Quaternary stratigraphy. Journal of Quaternary Science, 22 (2), pp. 111-118. Davies, P., 2008. Snails: archaeology and landscape change . Oxbow: Oxford. Evans, J.G., 1972. Land Snails in Archaeology. Seminar Press: London. Kerney, M.P., and Cameron, R.A.D. 1979. A Field Guide to the Land Snails of Britain and Ireland. Collins: London. Simmons, E., 2013. Assessment of waterlogged plant macrofossils from Walpole Landfill Site, Pawlett Somerset (PWE11). Unpublished report for C & N Hollinrake Ltd.

TABLE 1: MNI Values of Faunal Remains from Sample 182 Context Sample 9052 182 Botto m fill of pit

Interpretat ion Volume (ml) 200 MOLLUSCA: GASTROPODA Discus rotundatus (Mller, 1774) 2 Aegopinella pura (Alder, 1830) 1 Clausiliidae sp. indet. Limacidae sp. indet. ANNELIDA: CLITELLATA Earthworm granules indet. cf. Lumbricus rubellus Hoffmeister 1843 CHORDATA: MAMMALIA Rodent tooth 1 1

1 1

APPENDIX: Faunal Assemblage Gallery

Figure 1: Discus rotundatus

Figure 2: Aegopinella pura

Figure 3: Limacidae sp. plate

Figure 4. Clausiliidae sp. fragment (right) with modern specimen of Clausilia bidentata. Note the similar striations on the shell surface.

Figure 5: Earthworm granules. The possible Lumbricus rubellus granule is on the right.

Figure 6: Rodent tooth.