Yellow Rabbit Snail (Tylomelania towutensis) Breeding Guide

Tylomelania towutensis is an ovoviviparous Sulawesi snail with separate sexes that releases a single very large shelled juvenile at a time, in hard, alkaline, warm water.

Overview

Tylomelania towutensis is a snail endemic to Lake Towuti, part of the Malili lake system in Sulawesi, Indonesia. The genus is restricted to elevations below about 700 metres and inhabits the hard, alkaline, warm water of these ancient lakes, where it grazes slowly as a herbivore and detritivore.

Sexing

Unusually for aquatic snails, most Tylomelania species are dioecious, meaning the sexes are separate. A breeding group therefore needs both males and females, and because external sexing is unreliable a small group is the practical way to obtain both sexes.

Egg-laying / Reproduction

Species in the genus are ovoviviparous; the pallial oviduct has evolved into a uterine brood structure that releases shelled juvenile snails rather than eggs. Reproduction is slow, with the female producing offspring one at a time, so populations grow gradually compared with prolific egg-laying snails.

Juvenile Care

Newly born juveniles of some Tylomelania species measure nearly 2 cm, the largest of any viviparous gastropod, and emerge as fully formed shelled snails. They graze on the same foods as adults and need no special rearing beyond stable hard, alkaline, warm water.