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).