Reproduction

To find out more about the reproductive habits of Fumonelix archeri, we will take a look at the terrestrial gastropod lifecycle. As seen to the right, their lifecycle includes three major stages: the egg, juvenile, and adult. Instead of going through a larval stage, these snails simply go from the egg, to a smaller version of the adult, to the mature adult. One main difference between terrestrial and aquatic gastropods is that land snails lack a veliger larval stage (Herbert, 2007). Pulmonates have a couple ways to make up for their lack of a veliger stage, some of those methods being developing at a faster rate than their marine relatives, as well as beginning reproduction at an earlier age than marine species do (Herbert, 2007).



To reproduce, pulmonate snails like Fumonelix archeri are mostly monoecious, meaning that each individual has both male and female reproductive organs (Hickman et al, 2009). They reach sexual maturity at a fairly early age, and when they do, they engage in a courtship before mating that can last anywhere from two to twelve hours (Pulmonates, 2010).




To mate, one snail fertilizes another by putting its penis in the other's genital pore; therefore fertilization is internal (Pulmonates, 2010). The snails will then bury their eggs in a shallow layer of soil, or under leaves and foliage, where there is warmth, protection, and moisture, all things required for the proper hatching of eggs (NatureServe Explorer, 2010). The eggs will remain there for two to four weeks until they hatch, and the cycle of life repeats (Allison, 2012).









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