SUJATA SHARMA, Assistant Professor of Zoology

Government College,Chhachhrauli( Yamuna Nagar)

Email: sssujatasharma@gmail.com Mobile: 9355111112

PILA GLOBOSA
CLASSIFICATION:
Phylum :Mollusca
Class : Gastropoda
Order: Prosobranchiata
Genus: Pila
a) Habitat of Pila Globosa:
• Pila globosa or the apple snail is one of the largest freshwater
molluscs.
• It is commonly found in freshwater ponds, pools, tanks, lakes,
marshes, rice fields and sometimes even in streams and rivers.
They occur in those areas where there is a large amount of aquatic
vegetation like Vallisneria, Pistia, for food
b)Habits:
1. They are amphibious and can live in water and on land.
2. Show dual respiration: With ctenidium( gill) & Pulmonary sac (
lung)
3. creeps very slowly by its ventral muscular foot, covering about
five cm per minute.
4. Show period of inactivity in summer called aestivation or
summer sleep.
5. Unisexual with seperate sexes
6. Open circulation of blood
c) External Features of Pila Globosa:
• covered by shell
• 3 parts of body: Head, Foot, Visceral mass
• Has mantle or pallium that covers the body
SUJATA SHARMA, Assistant Professor of Zoology

Government College,Chhachhrauli( Yamuna Nagar)

Email: sssujatasharma@gmail.com Mobile: 9355111112

d) Shell of Pila: ( see diagram given below)

• The shell is univalved( made up of single piece)
• colour from yellowish to brown or even blackish.
• It is coiled around a central axis called columella in a right-
handed spiral( Dextral). The columella is hollow and its opening
to the exterior is known as an umbilicus( UMBILICATE OR
PERFORATE SHELL)
• The shell contains whorls of 3 types
1) Apex 2) Penultimate whorl 3) body whorl
• Apex( top of shell ) is formed first and contains the smallest
and the oldest whorl.
• Below the apex there is penultimate whorl
• largest whorl is body whorl which encloses most of the body.
All the whorls together called spire.
• The lines between the whorls are called sutures.
• Internally all the whorls of the shell are freely communicated
with one another; such a shell is called unilocular( Single
Chambered)
• The body whorl has a large mouth or opening
• The margin of the mouth is called a peristome from which the
head and the foot of the living animal can protrude.
• The outer margin of the mouth is called an outer lip, and the
inner margin as inner or columellar lip.
• The lines of growth of shell are visible, some of them appear as
ridges known as varices.( Singular: Varix)
SUJATA SHARMA, Assistant Professor of Zoology

Government College,Chhachhrauli( Yamuna Nagar)

Email: sssujatasharma@gmail.com Mobile: 9355111112

Operculum of Pila Globosa:

• It is Covering/lid of shell mouth or peristome. It is calcareous.
• its outer surface shows a number of rings of growth around a nucleus
• The inner surface has an elliptical area called boss for attachment of
muscles.The boss is cream- coloured and is surrounded by a groove. The
operculum is, in fact, secreted by the glandular cells of the foot
SUJATA SHARMA, Assistant Professor of Zoology

Government College,Chhachhrauli( Yamuna Nagar)

Email: sssujatasharma@gmail.com Mobile: 9355111112

Microscopic Structure of Shell( Histology){ diagram given below)
• The shell consists of 3 layers:
a) Periostracum: an outermost pigmented layer made of a horny organic
protein called conchiolin,
b) Prismatic layer or Ostracum :Present below periostracum . It is
the thickest layer and is composed of alternating layers of Calcium
carbonate and conchiolin running at right angles to the margin of mouth
of the shell.
c) Hypostracum: The Hypostrachum consists of similar alternating
layers, but these layers run parallel to the margin of mouth
c) Nacreous layer: innermost layer of shell
Below shell mantle is present that secretes shell.
SUJATA SHARMA, Assistant Professor of Zoology

Government College,Chhachhrauli( Yamuna Nagar)

Email: sssujatasharma@gmail.com Mobile: 9355111112

e) BODY FORM OF PILA:
• Soft body &differentiated ito three distinct regions:
a)anterior head b) ventral foot c) dorsal visceral mass.
• The head and foot only protrudes out of shell while creeping, while the
visceral mass remains intact inside the shell
A) Head:
1. The head is a distinct and produced into a snout.
2. The head bears two pairs of tentacles.
3. The first pair of tentacles or labial palps are small and lie in front
4. second pair of tentacles are long.
5. The tentacles are hollow and capable of much extension and contraction.
6. Behind the tentacles the head has a pair of eyes.
7. Eyes are attached to stalks called ommatophores.
B) Foot:
1. Foot is large& muscular,
2. Foot is triangular with the apex pointing backwards
3. upper surface of foot is spotted .
4. its lower surface is gray and flat called sole.
5. In the foot is a pedal mucous gland which forms a slime trail during
locomotion.
C) Visceral mass:
1. Above the head-foot complex is a visceral mass containing the main
organs of the body.
2. it fills all the whorls of the shell and it is spirally-coiled like the shell.
3. The visceral mass exhibits the phenomenon of torsion.
4. It is soft and grey to dark brown in colour.
SUJATA SHARMA, Assistant Professor of Zoology

Government College,Chhachhrauli( Yamuna Nagar)

Email: sssujatasharma@gmail.com Mobile: 9355111112

f) Mantle of Pila:
i. The mantle, also called as pallium, covers the visceral mass
and it forms a hood over the animal when it is withdrawn.
ii. The edge of the mantle is thick and contains shell glands
which secrete the shell.
iii. The mantle also has two fleshy lobes called nuchal lobes or
pseudepipodia which are joined on either side of the head(
See in figure 60.4)
iv. The left pseudepipodium forms a long tubular respiratory
siphon for aerial respiration and a respiratory current enters
through it.
v. The right pseudepipodium is less developed and not a
regular tube.
vi. There is a large space between the mantle and the body in
the anterior part. This is a mantle or pallial cavity.