Reproduction

Like all snails in the Polygyridae family, the Mesodon andrewsae is hermaphroditic.  This means that these snails have both male and female reproductive organs, which makes reproduction more efficient in times of scarcity of mates and in adverse conditions.  Mesodon andrewsae have 29 chromosomes in their haploid gametes, which means that there is a total of 58 chromosomes total.  Unlike a number of gastropods, members of the family Polygyridae do not contain a "dart apparatus" which is used in mating rituals in other species of snails.

Life cycle of a terrestrial gastropod

The image above shows the life cycle of a typical terrestrial gastropod.  There are 3 major stages, the egg, the juvenile and adult stages (Herbert, 2007).  Terrestrial snails usually mate by the time they are a year old, and the eggs typically hatch 4 weeks after fertilization according to the atmospheric conditions (Binney, 1878).

<Nutrition        Home        Interactions>