Studies on the Formation of Calcified Egg-Capsules of Ampullarid Snails

Authors

V. R. Meenakshi, University of South Carolina - Columbia
Patricia Blackwelder, University of South Carolina - ColumbiaFollow
Norimitsu Watabe, University of South Carolina - Columbia

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Calcified Tissue Research

ISSN

0008-0594

Publication Date

12-1974

Keywords

Snails, Vaterite, Calcium, Storage

Abstract

Large quantities of calcium carbonate crystals were present in the albumin gland of the reproductive system of the fresh-water snail Pomacea paludosa. X-ray diffraction analyses indicated that they were vaterite. Scanning electron microscope observation of the albumin gland revealed that they occurred as spherules and were distributed throughout the gland. Vaterite spherules were present in the albumin gland of Pomacea urceus and the capsule gland of Pila virens. The mineral portion of the egg capsules was also vaterite. The egg capsule of these snails consisted of two morphologically distinct layers. Vaterite is less common in nature than the other two polymorphs of calcium carbonate, calcite and aragonite, and has not been recorded in the reproductive system of molluscs. It is interesting to note that in these snails calcium carbonate was present as vaterite both in the storage organ and fully differentiated egg capsule.

DOI

10.1007/BF02008236

Volume

16

Issue

1

First Page

283

Last Page

291

Comments

©Springer-Verlag 1974

NSUWorks Citation

V. R. Meenakshi, Patricia Blackwelder, and Norimitsu Watabe. 1974. Studies on the Formation of Calcified Egg-Capsules of Ampullarid Snails .Calcified Tissue Research , (1) : 283 -291. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_facarticles/832.