Nutrition
Webbhelix multilineata is an herbivore, feeding on plant
material that can be found in its habitat. The species is often found on
skunk cabbage, which is one of its food sources (Hotopp,
2005). The snail will also consume calcium-rich minerals, which
provides nutrition to build their, primarily calcium carbonate,
shells (Hotopp, 2006).
Like most gastropods, Webbhelix multilineata uses a radula, which is a “rasping, protrusible, tongue-like organ”, to scrape and feed. After feeding, digestion takes place extracellularly in the digestive gland. Once digested, the waste is expelled through the anus and excretory pore (Hickman, 2009).
This snail has an open circulatory system, which means that while it still has a heart, vessels and sinuses, the blood is not contained within the vessels throughout the entire circuit (Hickman, 2009). This system is less efficient than a closed circulatory system, but it works for slow moving organisms, like the Striped Whitelip.