A Preliminary Chemical and Structural Analysis on the Albumen Gland of Three Snail Species Found in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria

The function of the albumen gland is to produce albumen or perivitelline fluid for the egg. A preliminary chemical and structural analysis of the albumen gland of three common land snail species (Archachatina marginata, Achatina achatina and Achatina fulica) found in Abeokuta (Nigeria) was carried out. The presence of Na+, K+, Ca2+ Cl- and PO42- was detected in the gland with the A.marginata having the highest chemical concentrations, followed by A. fulica and A. achatina. Ca2+ with the highest concentration in the gland and the protein content was similarly high. The gland contains secretory granules, epithelial lining and tissues which are similar in the three species, indicating that they are structurally similar. Meanwhile, the relevance of these results to the egg production in snails is discussed.