Gastropoda, Cuvier, 1795

Nicholson, Daniel J., Tapley, Benjamin, Jayson, Stephanie, Dale, James, Harding, Luke, Spencer, Jenny, Sulton, Machel, Durand, Stephen & Cunningham, Andrew A., 2017, Development of in-country live food production for amphibian conservation: The Mountain Chicken Frog (Leptodactylus fallax) on Dominica, West Indies, Amphibian & Reptile Conservation (e 149) 11 (2), pp. 59-68 : 62-63

Gastropoda

Gastropods make up 18% of the known diet of wild L. fallax ( Brooks Jr 1982) , which have been observed consuming them (D. Nicholson, pers. obs.). Slugs ( V. sloanii , Fig. 2F) and snails ( P. dentiens , Fig. 2G) were selected for culture as they are highly abundant and widespread across Dominica, readily observed on nocturnal transects and easy to capture. Veronicella sloanii was first discov- ered on Dominica in 2009 and is believed to have been introduced. Pleurodonte dentiens is endemic to Dominica, Martinique, and Guadeloupe ( Robinson et al. 2009). Housing: Both gastropod species were housed in clear plastic containers (52 × 36 × 38 cm) with open tops covered with mesh to prevent escape ( Fig 3A). All housing units contained refugia such as cardboard egg boxes and sections of tree bark; sphagnum peat moss substrate was also added. Housing containers were cleaned weekly to remove faecal waste and un-eaten food. High humidity was maintained by misting the substrate with water, as required to keep it damp.

Feeding: All gastropod species were fed ad lib with the leaves of lettuce, cabbage, and spinach, with fresh food being provided three times per week.