ISSN:
0362-2525
Keywords:
Life and Medical Sciences
;
Cell & Developmental Biology
Source:
Wiley InterScience Backfile Collection 1832-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
Notes:
The little capsules in which snails of this family deposit eggs are so durable as sometimes to be found adherent to museum specimens; hitherto, however, detailed descriptions of such capsules have been restricted to the capsules long known as made by Neritina fluviatilis in fresh waters of Europe. The present paper adds descriptions, with measurements and sketches, of Neritina reclivata from Florida, Neritina virginea, Neritina punctulata, Theodoxus mneleagris, Nerita peloronta, Nerita alticola, Nerita tesselata and Neritilia succinea from Jamaica, British West Indies.These capsules are found to be remarkable in that the digestive tract aids in their formation; that is, the capsules are made as secretions of the lower oviduct to which mineral particles are added, and these mineral particles are supplied from the intestine and stored up in a special sac opening into the oviduct. Moreover, the mineral particles are of twofold origin; in some Neritinas they come from the ooze taken in with the food and passed through the intestine; in some Neritas they come from the liver as calcospherites, to be passed through the intestine.It is hoped that the data given will aid future descriptions of capsules from other species till a firm foundation is built for utilization of these capsules as aids in taxonomy.
Additional Material:
1 Tab.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jmor.1050570103
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