Life History of<i>Alinda biplicata</i>(Montagu, 1803) (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Clausiliidae) Based on Five-Year Laboratory Observations

Maltz, Tomasz K.; Sulikowska-Drozd, Anna

doi:10.3161/000345412x659803

Cited by 13 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…According to Frömming (1954), Alinda biplicata gives birth to 1-11 neonates at a time. When kept in cultures, it produces a series of litters at short intervals with an average 2.8 juveniles per litter (Maltz and Sulikowska-Drozd, 2012). In natural populations of A. biplicata, we observed a decrease in the number of brooded eggs during the season.…”

Section: Brood Sizementioning

confidence: 71%

“…The developmental stage of each egg was categorized using the presence of the embryonic shell and the number of its whorls (Kerney et al, 1983) as follows: stage I -egg filled with amorphous substance, no visible shell; stage II -egg with embryo; embryonic shell with < 1 whorl; stage IIIembryo with shell of 1-1.9 whorls; stage IV -embryo with > 2 whorls. Stage IV corresponds with the size of live-born neonates (2.1-2.9 whorls) observed in laboratory cultures (Maltz and Sulikowska-Drozd, 2012).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to Mamatkulov (2007), egg laying clausiliids reproduce between May and August. Brooding clausiliids such as Ruthenica filograna (Rossmässler, 1836) and Balea (Pseudalinda) fallax (Rossmässler, 1836) retain developing embryos in uteri from March to October and from May to August, respectively (Szybiak, 2010;Sulikowska-Drozd, et al, 2012). Apparently, clausiliids from the temperate zone do not retain eggs during hibernation.…”

Section: Timing and Length Of The Reproductive Seasonmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Brooding is frequent in the species-rich family Clausiliidae, and egg retaining species are found in at least four genera in Europe (Maltz and Sulikowska-Drozd, 2008;Szybiak, 2010;Sulikowska-Drozd et al, 2012). Here, we focus on Alinda biplicata (Montagu, 1803), a common central European clausiliid that is well-suited for studies on environmental constraints on reproduction because of its wide geographical range, high habitat tolerance (Kerney et al, 1983) and probable variation in its reproductive mode (Fechter and Falkner, 1990).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More recently, Fechter and Falkner (1990) reported that A. biplicata could lay eggs with well-developed embryos in favourable conditions, which suggests that the intrauterine phase may be shortened in some circumstances and followed by an external development of the eggs. According to Maltz and Sulikowska-Drozd (2012), litters of A. biplicata released under constant laboratory conditions usually consist of 2-3 neonates, but can reach a maximum of 11 neonates per batch. A pair of snails produces 6-39 offspring per year.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Brooding in a temperate zone land snail: seasonal and regional patterns

Sulikowska-Drozd

Maltz²,

Kappes

2013

CTOZ

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The goal of this study is to assess if the reproductive strategy of a brooding land snail shifts along a climatic gradient. We focused on the following traits: timing and length of the reproductive season, brood size, ontogenetic dynamics of embryos, and reproductive mode (viviparity versus egg-laying). We dissected the central European door snail Alinda biplicata, collected monthly from eight populations covering the oceaniccontinental climatic gradient within the species’ distribution range. Forty percent of the 1706 dissected individuals were brooding. The species displayed a spring-summer reproductive activity pattern: intrauterine brooding was recorded between March and September; first embryos of a developmental stage that equals that of live-born neonates appeared in late April. Brooding started approximately when the mean daily temperature of a month exceeds ca. 5°C, thus the ontogenetic development of embryos is advancing earlier in populations under the influence of mild oceanic climate, and later in the eastern, more continental part of the range, or in submontane localities. A range-wide synchrony in reproduction occurred in May, when average temperatures and precipitation display a high rangewide similarity. The mean number of intrauterine eggs decreased between spring and summer in all populations (April: 10.9 ± 2.9; September: 6.4 ± 2.4), suggesting a gradual release of neonates which are not immediately replaced in uteri by new eggs. Snails from areas with long frosty winters do not invest much in a second reproductive period in late summer. Embryos of advanced embryonic stage were found in the reproductive tract of individuals from each population, thus we refute the hypothesis that A. biplicata switches its reproductive strategy towards oviparity under the influence of oceanic climate.

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Section: Brood Sizementioning

confidence: 71%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Timing and Length Of The Reproductive Seasonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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