Otala lactea

Five views of a shell of Otala lactea
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)^[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Heterobranchia
Order:	Stylommatophora
Superfamily:	Helicoidea
Family:	Helicidae
Genus:	Otala
Species:	O. l. ^[1]
Binomial name
*Otala lactea ^[1]* (Müller, 1774)
Synonyms
Archelix ahmarina (Bourguignat in Pechaud, 1883) (superseded generic combination) Archelix ahmarina var. ibrahimi Pallary, 1922 (original combination) Archelix ahmarina var. ksebiana Pallary, 1915 (original combination) Archelix barbini Pallary, 1918 (original combination) Archelix barbini var. coloria Pallary, 1918 (original combination) Archelix barbini var. major Pallary, 1926 (original combination) Archelix barbini var. persimilis Pallary, 1918 (original combination) Archelix bleicheri (Paladilhe, 1875) (superseded generic combination) Archelix bleicheri var. minor Pallary, 1922 (original combination) Archelix ceardi Pallary, 1924 (original combination) Archelix connollyi Pallary, 1926 (original combination) Archelix de gouttesiana Pallary, 1928 (original combination) Archelix de gouttesiana var. minor Pallary, 1928 (original combination) Archelix de gouttesiana var. pallida Pallary, 1928 (original combination) Archelix derenica Pallary, 1920 (original combination) Archelix fauxnigra Pallary, 1920 (original combination) Archelix fauxnigra var. unicolor-alba Pallary, 1920 (original combination) Archelix freydieri Pallary, 1923 (original combination) Archelix freydieri var. minor Pallary, 1926 (original combination) Archelix freydieri var. unifasciata Pallary, 1926 (original combination) Archelix gebiletana Pallary, 1918 (original combination) Archelix gebiletana var. minor Pallary, 1919 (original combination) Archelix huotiana Pallary, 1926 (original combination) Archelix ibrahimi (Bourguignat in Pechaud, 1883) (superseded generic combination) Archelix liocephala Pallary, 1923 (original combination) Archelix lucasi A. Férussac & Deshayes, 1848 (superseded generic combination) Archelix lucasi var. discolor Pallary, 1926 (original combination) Archelix solignaci Pallary, 1926 (original combination) Archelix sphaeromorpha (Bourguignat in Pechaud, 1883) (superseded generic combination) Archelix sphaeromorpha var. albicans Pallary, 1920 (original combination) Archelix sphaeromorpha var. depressa Pallary, 1920 (original combination) Archelix sphaeromorpha var. lineolata Pallary, 1920 (original combination) Archelix sphaeromorpha var. minor Pallary, 1920 (original combination) Archelix sphaeromorpha var. quinque-fasciata Pallary, 1920 (original combination) Archelix sphaeromorpha var. subangulata Pallary, 1920 (original combination) Helix ahmarina J. Mabille 1883 Helix bleicheri Paladilhe, 1875 (junior synonym) Helix canariensis Mousson 1872 Helix ibrahimi Bourguignat in Pechaud, 1883 (junior synonym) Helix jacquemetana J. Mabille 1883 Helix lactea O.F. Muller 1774 (original description) Helix lactea var. murcica Rossmässler, 1854 (junior synonym) Helix lucasi A. Férussac & Deshayes, 1848 (junior synonym) Helix plesiasteia Bourguignat in Pechaud, 1884 (junior synonym) Helix sphaeromorpha Bourguignat 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^[3] species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk, in the family Helicidae, the typical snails.^[4]

Archaeological recovery at the Ancient Roman site of Volubilis, in Morocco, illustrates prehistoric exploitation of O. lactea by humans.^[5]

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.^[2] It has been introduced to the Azores, Madeira, United States,^[2] 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.^[6]

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 effects 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.^[7]

References

^ Taxonomy for Species Otala lactea
^ ^a ^b ^c Arrébola, J. (2011). "Otala lactea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011: e.T156616A4973231. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
^ Man and Mollusc's Data Base of Edible Molluscs
^ 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
^ C. Michael Hogan, Volubilis, The Megalithic Portal, ed. Andy Burnham (2007)
^ "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.
^ 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

Taxon identifiers

Taxon identifiers	Wikidata: Q1785932 AFD: Otala_(Otala)_lactea BOLD: 96362 CoL: 4B22B EPPO: OTALLA Fauna Europaea: 425958 Fauna Europaea (new): adc2c634-e472-4a48-b336-b484ea697c44 GBIF: 2294284 iNaturalist: 202861 IRMNG: 11232901 ITIS: 77916 NatureServe: 2.110735 NCBI: 225486