Otala lactea
| Otala lactea | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A live but retracted individual of Otala lactea | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura |
| Superfamily: | Helicoidea |
| Family: | Helicidae |
| Genus: | Otala |
| Species: | O. lactea |
| Binomial name | |
| Otala lactea (Müller, 1774) | |
Otala lactea,[1] common names, the milk snail, or Spanish snail, is a large, edible species[2] of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Helicidae the typical snails. Archaeological recovery at the Volubilis illustrates prehistoric exploitation of O. lactea by humans.[3]
Synonyms include Helix lactea and Iberus alonensis.
Distribution
This species of snail is native to Europe and parts of North Africa. It has been introduced to the USA, including Arizona and Florida, and to Bermuda, Cuba, southeastern Australia.
Anatomy
love dart of Otala lactea.
This snail creates and uses love darts as part of its courtship behaviour, prior to mating.
References
- ↑ Taxonomy for Species Otala lactea
- ↑ Man and Mollusc's Data Base of Edible Molluscs
- ↑ C. Michael Hogan, Volubilis, The Megalithic Portal, ed. Andy Burnham (2007)
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Otala lactea. |
- Images:
- More images:
- Otala lactea on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
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