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The formation of shell in the tiger snail
Author(s) -
Jones David T.
Publication year - 1935
Publication title -
journal of morphology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.652
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1097-4687
pISSN - 0362-2525
DOI - 10.1002/jmor.1050570210
Subject(s) - snail , mantle (geology) , shell (structure) , biology , mucus , calcium carbonate , secretion , biophysics , chemical physics , materials science , ecology , chemistry , paleontology , biochemistry , composite material
This article describes the structural features of the mantle and shell, particularly in the tiger snail, Anguispira alternata. The shell and the slime appear to be secreted simultaneously, probably from the same sources, and except for the mucus probably from the same materials, but certainly through very different structures. It is found that all the layers of the shell are secreted in a liquid or semi‐liquid state by some part of the mantle. The periostracum is secreted from the supramarginal groove as a liquid which soon toughens as viscosity increases until it forms the organic covering of the shell. The inner layers are derived from epithelia beneath the shell, crystallizing out of a semi‐liquid mass into the characteristic patterns, which we recognize as the layers of calcium carbonate. This process is traced from the synthetic viewpoint in the secretion from the mantle, also some of the stages can be detected from the analytic standpoint in the breakdown of shell materials. Some phases of the above structural states can be recognized in living mantles. A chemical analysis of the shell is also given.