On Mate Choice in two Xerophilic Species of Land Snails, Brephulopsis cylindrica (Pulmonata, Enidae) and Xeropicta derbentina (Pulmonata, Hygromiidae)

Abstract

Abstract The cases of assortative mating are known in varied species of Gastropoda, however it is unclear how widely distributed this reproductive strategy is across the class. The data concerning land snails (Stylommatophora) are especially contradictory. By using two model species of stylommatophoran mollusks, Brephulopsis cylindrica (Menke, 1828) and Xeropicta derbentina (Krynicki, 1836), we conducted a long-term observation of their copulatory behavior in Southern Ukraine. In X. derbentina, a clear pattern of the positive assortative mating with respect to body size was found, whereas assortative mating in relation to shell banding polymorphism was revealed in 2 cases out of 7. B. cylindrica snails copulate with any available mate partner, regardless of its size.