Nutrition

C. chinensis feeds on a combination of organic and inorganic bottom material (USGS, 2009).  They get the majority of their nutrition from epiphytic (growing on another surface) benthic (lowest water level of an aquatic environment) algae (Solomon, 2010).  The algae are ingested by grazing along rocks and the bottom of lakes or rivers.  Like other gastropods, this snail has a specialized mouth structure called a radula which is used for scraping surfaces in order to obtain food (Hickman, 2009).  In addition to algae, C. chinensis also feeds on a variety of diatoms (microscopic marine animals) which are ingested in the same manner (USGS, 2009).

 Photo by P. Kibler, obtained from http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/specimenviewer.aspx?SpecimenID=279153

 

Continue reading to learn more about reproduction in C. chinensis.

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