Tracking the growth of the edible Moroccan snail, Otala tingitana (Paladilhe, 1875), raised under controlled conditions

ABSTRACT The development of the heliciculture sector in Africa, particularly in Morocco, requires a better understanding of the environmental and nutritional growth conditions of endemic snails. To date, little is known about Otala tingitana snails, a Moroccan endemic edible species with a growing economic and agronomic interest. In this study, we investigated the optimal conditions for efficient snail growth. Experiments were carried out to track the growth of snails under controlled conditions of air temperature, humidity and photoperiod from hatching to maturity. In accordance with previous studies on other types of snails, weight, shell growth, dietary ingestion, ecological yield, mortality rate and maturation time were all monitored. Results showed that a combination of 20°C temperature, short photoperiod (8L-16D) and high humidity (80% RH) represents the optimal conditions for efficient growth of this species. Thus, thanks to the improved rearing conditions, two complete life cycles could be achieved within a single year. This allows for significant improvement in the productivity and the rearing conditions of this species for nutritional and other purposes.