Reproduction

Very little is known about the reproductive habits of Euchemotrema hubrichti. However this snail is similar to the majority of other snails in that the snail is monecious. Meaning that it houses both female and male sex organs in the same animal.

What has been studied about the snail consists of reproductive anatomy. E. hubrichti has been compared reproductively to S. stenotrema (Anderson and Smith, 2005). However a few differences have been revealed. The penis of the E. hubrichti is shaped differently than that of the S. stenotrema (Anderson and Smith, 2005). The penis is shorter and wider and surrounded by a band of muscle (Anderson and Smith, 2005). Another observation has been that upon reaching sexual maturity the free oviduct is twisted in similar fashion to a rope approximately ten times. (Anderson and Smith, 2005) Another tell-tale sign that the snail has reached sexual maturity is the shell. A lip is formed and the shell reaches a size of around nine mm (Anderson and Smith, 2005).

Although no specific mating rituals have been noted, there is recent evidence that suggests in their natural habitat little to no mating is done with different populations of E. hubrichti (Cowie, 2006). Recent genetic analysis shows that there are genetic differences in separate populations of these snails, showing that these snails do not migrate to different populations for mating (Cowie, 2006).

One promising sign that is being seen for the E. hubrichti in laboratory settings is high reproduction rates. This is a good sign for a snail that is considered “critically imperiled”(Anderson, 2012).

Back to home page