Shell shape and mating behaviour in pulmonate gastropods (Mollusca)

Jordaens, K.; Dillen, L.; Backeljau, T.

doi:/10.1111/j.1095-8312.2008.01122.x

Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS)

Data Policy

Persons | Institutes | Publications | Projects | Datasets

[ report an error in this record ]

basket (0): add | show

Shell shape and mating behaviour in pulmonate gastropods (Mollusca)

Jordaens, K.; Dillen, L.; Backeljau, T. (2009). Shell shape and mating behaviour in pulmonate gastropods (Mollusca). Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 96(2): 306-321. dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8312.2008.01122.x

In: Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. Academic Press: London; New York. ISSN 0024-4066; e-ISSN 1095-8312

Available in	Authors
VLIZ: Open Marine Archive 280300 [ download pdf ]

Keywords

Bioselection > Sexual selection
Marine/Coastal

Author keywords

dart-shooting; freshwater snails; hermaphrodite; land snails; sexualselection; whole-body enantiomorphy

Authors		Top
Jordaens, K. Dillen, L. Backeljau, T.

Abstract

Previous work suggests that low-spired hermaphroditic snails mate face-to-face and have reciprocal sperm exchange, whereas high-spired snails mate by shell mounting and have unilateral sperm exchange. This dichotomy lead others to speculate on the evolution of enigmatic mating behaviours and whole-body enantiomorphy. In the present study, we review the current literature on mating behaviour in pulmonate snails and show that: (1) several pulmonate species show considerable intraspecific variation in mating behaviour; (2) mating position does not predict reciprocity of penis intromission and sperm exchange; (3) dart-shooting may be correlated with reciprocity of sperm exchange but other factors must explain the gain or loss of darts; (4) it is unlikely that the degree of reciprocity is the most important factor in explaining the relationship of whole-body enantiomorphy and shell shape; and (5) the reciprocal intromission of penises does not necessarily involve the reciprocal transfer of sperm. Hence, our survey shows that current ideas on the evolutionary relationship between shell shape and reciprocity with sexual selection (including dart-use) and whole-body enantiomorphy in hermaphroditic snails should be refined. The results obtained demonstrate that our current knowledge on gastropod mating behaviour is too limited to detect general evolutionary trajectories in gastropod mating behaviour and genital anatomy.

All data in the Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS) is subject to the VLIZ privacy policy

Top | Authors

[Back]

Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS)

WoRMS

Using WoRMS

Tools

Connect with us