Effect of stocking density on the growth and haemolymph biochemical value of Archachatina marginata

The growth performance and haemolymph properties of the African giant land snail Archachatina marginata fed ad libitun with pawpaw leaves and reared under different stocking densities were investigated in an eight week experiment. Four different stocking densities of 5, 10, 15 and 20 snailsper cage (0.5 m x 0.5 m x 0.2 m) were used with each group replicated. The cage with 15 snails per cage recorded the best growth performance in relation to weight gain, shell length gain as well shell circumference gain, while the cage stocked with 20 snails recorded the least growth performance. There is a strong relationship between stocking density and the concentration of the haemolymph protein, glucose and lipids. However, there was no difference in the concentration of the mineral elements across the stocking densities

Comparative Analysis of the Growth Performance and Haemolymph Biochemical Properties of Normal and Albino Giant Land Snail- Archachatina marginata

This study was conducted to compare the growth performance and haemolymph metabolites concentrations of two snail ecotypes-normal skin and albino snail raised in captivity for eight weeks. The growth performance was measured by body weight gain, shell length gain and shell circumference gain  while the measured haemolymph metabolites were glucose, protein, lipids, Na+, K+ ,Ca2+, Cl- and PO42-. Normal snail recorded better growth performance and growth rate (3.432x) than albino snails (2.166x). Similarly significantly higher (P 0.05) was recorded in the concentrations of minerals of the two snails species haemolymph. The domestication of the two snail ecotypes is thus recommended for heliculturist.Keyword: Albino snails, Archachatina marginata, biochemical value,  haemolymph

Performance, proximate and mineral analyses of African giant land snail (Archachatina marginata) fed different nitrogen sources

The effect of different nitrogen sources in the diets offered to caged African giant land snail, Archachatina marginata, was investigated in a six months experiment. Four experimental diets I, II, III and IV containing soybean, fishmeal, poultry dropping and urea as the only nitrogen source, respectively were formulated. Diet V (Pawpaw leaves) served as the control. Growth parameters (weight gain, feed intake, shell length gain and shell circumference gain), hemolymph and flesh minerals and proximate composition of the snails were determined. Snails fed diet III (poultry droppings) recorded the highest weight gain while the snails fed diet IV recorded the least value. Snail fed diet I had the highest feed conversion ratio (FCR}. The least FCR value was recorded for snails on diet V. The feed intake of snail on diet V was significantly higher (

Short CoommunicationActivities of glycosidases in the foot muscles of African giant land snail, Archachatina marginata during aestivation

The growth performance and the activities of glycosidases (amylase, cellulase and α-glucosidase) in the foot muscle of giant land snail, Archachatna marginata were examined during aestivation. Aestivation significantly affected the growth performance of the snails as active snails gained 16.4±0.02g while the aestivated snails lost 15.5±0.1g. Three glycosidases were detected in the foot muscle of the snails at varying levels: 33-37 Abs/min (α-glucosidase), 11-15 Abs/min (amylase) and 28-31 Abs/min (cellulase) with the active snails having significantly higher activities (Abs/min) in α-glucosidase and cellulase. Aestivation thus significantly affects the foot muscle activities of A.marginata.Keywords/phrases: Aestivation, Glycosidases, Growth, SnailEthiop. J. Biol. Sci., 8(2): 165-170, 200

Influence of Different Management Systems on Gut Microbes and Chemical Constituents of Giant Land Snail (Archachatina marginata)

The impact of management systems on the African giant land snail, Archachatina marginata found in Abeokuta, Nigeria was investigated. The gut microbial load, haemolymph biochemical values (proteins, lipids, glucose, Na+, Ca2+,K+, CL- PO4 2+) and proximate composition (crude protein, fat, fibre, ash and carbohydrates) of the flesh were determined in these snails. There were significantly (p<0.05) higher colony forming units (cfu) in the gut of snails from the wild (5-24 x103) than the domesticated snails (3-13 x103). The haemolymph biochemical values and flesh proximate composition were significantly higher in the snails from the wild than the domesticated ones. However, antinutrients and mineral composition of the flesh were not significantly affected by the management systems. The implication of these results on snail meat value in Nigeria is discussed.Keywords: Archachatina marginata, management systems, heliculture, gut microbe