Patrick Stanley, Amy LeBlanc, Jacque LeMarquis

Abstract

       Euglandina rosea is a native snail to the southeastern United states including Louisiana. It preys upon other gastropods by tracking there slime trails (Clifford 2003). While a number of studies have been done assesing prey selection in E. rosea none have been performed adressing how anomolous characters affect it's prey selection or other habits (Cook 1989, Gerlach 1994). An anomolous character as refered to in this text is any trait not seen in E. rosea outside of La Rue Macabre. Size of E. rosea is recorded but not seen as an anomolous character for the purposes of this study. While E. rosea in La Rue are often larger than those seen outside, this is consitent with the giangantification of other creatures seen in La Rue.

       Anomolous characters are shown in this study to have a wide range of disparate affects on Euglandina rosea prey selection. Ranging from some anomolous specimens which did not deviate from mundane dietary patterns to those which are completly different. Some specimens targeted prey not normally eaten by E. rosea and one specimen only ever tried to eat the researchers.

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Works cited:

1. Clifford, K. T., Gross, L., Johnson, K., Martin, K. J., Shaheen, N., & Harrington, M. A. (2003). Slime-trail tracking in the predatory snail, Euglandina rosea. Behavioral neuroscience, 117(5), 1086.
2. COOK, A. (1989). Factors affecting prey choice and feeding technique in the carnivorous snail Euglandina rosea Ferussac. Journal of Molluscan Studies, 55(4), 469-477.
3. Gerlach, J. (1994). The ecology of the carnivorous snail Euglandina rosea (Doctoral dissertation, University of Oxford).