Otala lactea

Otala lactea
Live individual
Five views of a shell of Otala lactea
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Order:	Stylommatophora
Family:	Helicidae
Subfamily:	Helicinae
Tribe:	Thebini
Genus:	Otala
Species:	O. lactea [2]
Binomial name
Otala lactea [3] (Müller, 1774)
Synonyms
Archelix ahmarina(Bourguignat in Pechaud, 1883) (superseded generic combination) Archelix ahmarina var. ibrahimiPallary, 1922 (original combination) Archelix ahmarina var. ksebianaPallary, 1915 (original combination) Archelix barbiniPallary, 1918 (original combination) Archelix barbini var. coloriaPallary, 1918 (original combination) Archelix barbini var. majorPallary, 1926 (original combination) Archelix barbini var. persimilisPallary, 1918 (original combination) Archelix bleicheri(Paladilhe, 1875) (superseded generic combination) Archelix bleicheri var. minorPallary, 1922 (original combination) Archelix ceardiPallary, 1924 (original combination) Archelix connollyiPallary, 1926 (original combination) Archelix de gouttesianaPallary, 1928 (original combination) Archelix de gouttesiana var. minorPallary, 1928 (original combination) Archelix de gouttesiana var. pallidaPallary, 1928 (original combination) Archelix derenicaPallary, 1920 (original combination) Archelix fauxnigraPallary, 1920 (original combination) Archelix fauxnigra var. unicolor-albaPallary, 1920 (original combination) Archelix freydieriPallary, 1923 (original combination) Archelix freydieri var. minorPallary, 1926 (original combination) Archelix freydieri var. unifasciataPallary, 1926 (original combination) Archelix gebiletanaPallary, 1918 (original combination) Archelix gebiletana var. minorPallary, 1919 (original combination) Archelix huotianaPallary, 1926 (original combination) Archelix ibrahimi(Bourguignat in Pechaud, 1883) (superseded generic combination) Archelix liocephalaPallary, 1923 (original combination) Archelix lucasiA. Férussac & Deshayes, 1848 (superseded generic combination) Archelix lucasi var. discolorPallary, 1926 (original combination) Archelix solignaciPallary, 1926 (original combination) Archelix sphaeromorpha(Bourguignat in Pechaud, 1883) (superseded generic combination) Archelix sphaeromorpha var. albicansPallary, 1920 (original combination) Archelix sphaeromorpha var. depressaPallary, 1920 (original combination) Archelix sphaeromorpha var. lineolataPallary, 1920 (original combination) Archelix sphaeromorpha var. minorPallary, 1920 (original combination) Archelix sphaeromorpha var. quinque-fasciataPallary, 1920 (original combination) Archelix sphaeromorpha var. subangulataPallary, 1920 (original combination) Helix ahmarinaJ. Mabille 1883 Helix bleicheriPaladilhe, 1875 (junior synonym) Helix canariensisMousson 1872 Helix ibrahimiBourguignat in Pechaud, 1883 (junior synonym) Helix jacquemetanaJ. Mabille 1883 Helix lacteaO.F. Muller 1774 (original description) Helix lactea var. murcica Rossmässler, 1854 (junior synonym) Helix lucasiA. Férussac & Deshayes, 1848 (junior synonym) Helix plesiasteiaBourguignat in Pechaud, 1884 (junior synonym) Helix sphaeromorphaBourguignat in Pechaud, 1883 (junior synonym) Otala (Otala) lactea(O. F. Müller, 1774)· accepted, alternate representation Otala (Otala) lactea lactea(O. F. Müller, 1774) (superseded combination) Otala (Otala) lactea murcica(Rossmässler, 1854) (superseded combination) Otala lactea murcica(Rossmässler, 1854) (superseded combination)

Otala lactea, known as the milk snail or Spanish snail, is a large, edible ^[4] species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk, in the family Helicidae, the typical snails. ^[5]

Archaeological recovery at the Ancient Roman site of Volubilis, in Morocco, illustrates prehistoric exploitation of O. lactea by humans. ^[6]

Distribution

This species of snail is native to the western Mediterranean Basin in the southern Iberian Peninsula, Morocco, Algeria, Balearic and Canary Islands, Malta and Corsica. ^[1] It has been introduced to the Azores, Madeira, United States, ^[1] including Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas, and to Bermuda, Cuba, and southeastern Australia.

Anatomy

love dart of Otala lactea.

This snail creates and uses love darts as part of its courtship behaviour, prior to mating. The shell of the snail plays an important role on its quality of life. This is because the calcium in the snails shell allows for shell regeneration to take place, if the shell was ever to be broken. ^[7]

O. lactea has developed the evolutionary adaptation of estivation to help it deal with harsh conditions such as drought or famine. During this time, O. lactea suppresses its metabolism. This affects many of the body functions. On a cellular level, this conversion from normal to estivation is seen impacting the Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase function. The Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity has been shown to be significantly reduced during estivation. As the Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase pump uses quite a lot of ATP, the suppression of this pump plays a key role in the conversion to estivation in the O. lactea. ^[8]

References

1. Arrébola, J. (2011). "Otala lactea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2011: e.T156616A4973231. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
2. Taxonomy for Species Otala lactea
3. Taxonomy for Species Otala lactea
4. "Man and Mollusc's Data Base of Edible Molluscs". Archived from the original on 2021-04-19. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
5. MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Otala lactea (O. F. Müller, 1774). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1050532 on 2021-02-14
6. C. Michael Hogan, Volubilis, The Megalithic Portal, ed. Andy Burnham (2007)
7. "EVIDENCE THAT <italic>OTALA LACTEA</italic> (MÜLLER) UTILIZES CALCIUM FROM THE SHELL". Journal of Molluscan Studies. December 1974. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.mollus.a065269. ISSN   1464-3766.
8. Ramnanan, Christopher J.; Storey, Kenneth B. (2006-02-15). "Suppression of Na+/K+-ATPase activity during estivation in the land snail Otala lactea" . Journal of Experimental Biology. 209 (4): 677–688. doi: 10.1242/jeb.02052 . ISSN   0022-0949. PMID   16449562.

• Rossmässler, E. A. (1854-1858). Iconographie der Land- & Süßwasser-Mollusken Europa's, mit vorzüglicher Berücksichtigung kritischer und noch nicht abgebildeter Arten. (1) 3 (1/2) [13-14]: I-VIII + 1–39. pl. 61-70 [≥ Sept. 1854]; (1) 3 (3/4) [15-16]: I-VIII + 41–77. pl. 71-80 [≥ Aug. 1856]; (1) 3 (5/6) [17-18]: I-VIII + 81–140. pl. 81-90
• Péchaud, J. (1884). Excursions malacologiques dans le nord de l'Afrique de la Calle a Alger, d'Alger a Tanger.
• Pallary, P. (1915). Description de quelques mollusques nouveaux du Grand Atlas. Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Zoologie, 21 (1): 21–28. Paris.
• Pallary, P. (1918). Diagnoses d'une cinquantaine de mollusques terrestres nouveaux du Nord de l'Afrique. Bulletin de la Société d'Histoire Naturelle d'Afrique du Nord, 9 (7): 137–152. Alger
• Pallary, P. (1919). Hélicidées nouvelles du Maroc. 2e Partie. Journal de Conchyliologie, 64 (2) [1918]: 51–69, pl. 2–3. Paris.
• Pallary, P. (1920). Descriptions d'une nouvelle cinquantaine de mollusques terrestres nouveaux du Nord-Ouest de l'Afrique. Bulletin de la Société d'Histoire Naturelle d'Afrique du Nord, 11 (2): 18–34. Alger.
• Pallary, P. (1920). Récoltes malacologiques du capitaine Paul Martel dans la partie septentrionale du Maroc. Journal de Conchyliologie, 65 (1): 1-39, pl. 1–3; 65 (2): 131–160, pl. 4–5. Paris.
• Pallary, P. (1922). Faune malacologique du Grand Atlas. Journal de Conchyliologie, 66 (2) [1921]: 89–154, pl. 3–5; 66 (3) [1921]: 185–217. Paris.
• Pallary, P. (1923). Vingt mollusques terrestres nouveaux du Maroc. Bulletin de la Société d'Histoire Naturelle d'Afrique du Nord, 14 (3): 112–118. Alger.
• Pallary, P. (1924). Note sur quelques mollusques d'un dépôt pléistocène de Colomb-Béchar. Bulletin de la Société d'Histoire naturelle de l'Afrique du Nord. 15 (3): 111–113. Alger
• Pallary, P. (1926). Compléments à la faune malacologique de la Berbérie. Journal de Conchyliologie, 70 (1): 1-50, pl. 1–8. Paris
• Pallary, P. (1928). Notice sur seize mollusques nouveaux du Maroc découverts en 1926–1927. Journal de Conchyliologie, 72 (1): 1-24, pl. 1–4. Paris.
• Bank, R. A.; Neubert, E. (2017). Checklist of the land and freshwater Gastropoda of Europe. Last update: July 16, 2017
• Holyoak, D.T. & Holyoak, G.A. (2017). A revision of the land-snail genera Otala and Eobania (Gastropoda, helicidae) in Morocco and Algeria. Journal of Conchology, 40 (6): 419–490. Londo

External links

• Müller, O. F. (1774). Vermium terrestrium et fluviatilium, seu animalium infusorium, Helminthicorum, et testaceorum, non marinorum, succincta historia. vol 2: I-XXXVI, 1-214, 10 unnumbered pages. Havniae et Lipsiae, apud Heineck et Faber, ex officina Molleriana
• More images:
• Otala lactea on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
• Images: