Otala punctata (Müller, 1774) Mating Aggregation | Egg Laying

    During a visit to the Otala punctata habitat on South Fletcher Avenue on 12/11/2007, an apparent mating aggregation along with egg laying was discovered in an open sandy and somewhat damp area immediately north of 1076 South Fletcher Avenue (image) - the current northern end of the snail's range. This exact same area had also been briefly surveyed on 12/9/2007, and about a dozen specimens were found and removed. However, less than 48 hours later, nearly twice that many specimens were again present. A follow-up visit on 12/14/2007 revealed that a new group of snails had assembled in the same area (in lesser numbers than found during the two recent previous visits) and likewise were engaged in egg laying. The availability of moist sand  is apparently a significant factor in the snails choosing this location vs. other locations in their habitat which are much drier.

Specimen interrupted during egg laying with eggs visible