Snail Egg ID

[barnaclesnail]

I have a few of my GALS in a temporary tank until their new heating pad arrives - my basement got so cold I had to take them upstairs last week. I also have three helix lucorums in the tank, and I should add that while I've had the latter species for over a year, they have not laid one single egg

Tonight I found a clutch of eggs, and assumed they were from my achatina fulica hamillei. However, when I went to remove them, I noticed that they were laid in such a tight corner where I have a few rocks holding up an artificial branch, that it seemed unlikely the big snails could squeeze into such a tight space for egg laying. I actually had to take out the branch and remove the top rock to get at most of the eggs. Then when I did get a closer look, I could swear the batch of fulica eggs I cleaned out last month were yellower and maybe slightly larger. If they're from the lucorums I would definitely let them hatch, but at the moment can't have the fulica eggs, unfortunately.

OTOH, the fulica wasn't eating for a day or two, and does feel lighter to me today, so maybe just wishful thinking? I've taken some pics and tried to show just what a tight space these eggs were laid in - except I moved one of the rocks, had already taken out the branch that would have been in the center of the rock pile and shoveled aside some dirt before I took them.
















So, opinions. Fulica or lucorum eggs???

[muddydragon]

i can't say for certain. my guess would be fulica - they can get themselves into all sorts of tiny spots to lay eggs.
I know Helix aspera lays jelly type eggs with no hard outer shell so i would have assumed helix lucorum would also lay jelly like eggs. However i can't say for certain as it is ofcourse possible that they do lay hard shelled eggs.
the (the far from reliable) wikipedia reckons helix locurum eggs are 4.4mm (which is terribly precise and slightly suspicious when i think of the variation i've seen in egg sizes from all my snails)

[tsrebel]

I think they are fulica eggs. My Helix pomatia lay very round eggs, these are more oval, and I think H. lucorum eggs look a lot like pomatia eggs.

[latebloomer]

My fulica have laid lots of eggs, the dark skins seem to lay yellowish eggs which soon go paler, the albino skins eggs are pale straight away. The shells are hard at first. Your eggs look exactly the same as my fulica eggs.

[gunshotglitter]

I don't think these are lucorum eggs either. They would be more round and a little transparent, especially if they have just been layed.

[graemepryce]

They look like achatina type eggs to me. Most helix type specimens lay softer egss like others have said. Are they hard?