Did You Know...?
While researching Gastrocopta abbreviata, some rare
information caught my eye. These interesting features are all unique to the the Plains Snaggletooth
and some of its close relatives.
Commonly, terrestrial land snails are
monoecious but many also copulate with an individual of the
opposite sex in order to produce offspring. This
phenomenon necessitates an appendage of intermission; however, members of
the Genus Gastrocopta lack a penis (Nordsiek,
2010). In addition, the vagina of these snails
is very short, however, the epiphallus is very distinct.
Lastly, this genus is unique in the respect that the
spermathecal is quite
long in comparison to other terrestrial snail species (Pilsbry, 1948).
The possession of a radula is a
defining characteristic of all Gastropods: this structure is
always equipped
with numerous, minute chitinous teeth that sit on the surface of
the radula and aid in scraping and cutting food prior to
it entering the esophagus. Specifically for the genus Gastrocopta,
it is tricuspids that are the specific teeth found in the center
of the radula. These
central teeth are significantly narrower than the bicuspid
laterals (Pilsbry, 1948).
Another intriguing piece of information found regarded the distinct way this genus moves. It is said that these snails achieve locomotion by the use of their muscular foot and they use a rhythmic movement. In Gastrocopta armifera, which is a close relative to G. abbreviata, it has been observed that approximately 4 waves are visible simultaneously during movement (Pilsbry, 1948).
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