Snails move through the wave-like contractions of a single, muscular foot gliding over a thin film of mucus secreted by the animal. In terms of energy expenditure, this form of locomotion is among the most expensive in the animal kingdom. Snail mucus composition has been characterized in terrestrial, marine and freshwater snails; however, measuring production of mucus by snails has been limited to either large individuals of marine species or large numbers of individuals of freshwater species. We are developing a technique to qualitatively evaluate mucus production by single snails using vital stains. Snails were allowed to adhere to glass slides and were then either physically disturbed or subjected to flowing water, both of which induce a defensive contraction of the foot.

Results/Conclusions

Subsequent staining of resulting mucus trails on the slides revealed that such contraction results in a correlated increase in the intensity of staining with periodic acid and Schiff’s reagent. Crystal violet, toluidine blue, and alcian blue also stained trail components, but not as clearly or reliably as PAS. Evaluating mucus production by single snails in response to physical disturbance or hydrodynamic drag will aid in understanding the energetic budgets of these ecologically important species.