The suprapedal gland or mucous pedal gland is an anatomical feature found in some

snail A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class G ...

s and slugs. It is a

gland In animals, a gland is a group of cells in an animal's body that synthesizes substances (such as hormones) for release into the bloodstream ( endocrine gland) or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface ( exocrine gland). Structure ...

located inside the front end of the

foot The foot ( : feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg mad ...

of gastropods.Barker G. M. (2001) "Gastropods on Land: Phylogeny, Diversity and Adaptive Morphology." in Barker G. M. (ed.):
The biology of terrestrial molluscs
.

CABI Publishing CABI (legally CAB International, formerly Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux) is a nonprofit intergovernmental development and information organisation focusing primarily on agricultural and environmental issues in the developing world, and the ...

, Oxon, UK, . 1-146, cited page: page 12. The term ''suprapedal'' means "above the foot". The function of this gland is to produce

mucus Mucus ( ) is a slippery aqueous secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. It is typically produced from cells found in mucous glands, although it may also originate from mixed glands, which contain both serous and mucous cells. It ...

. The gland opens on the front end of the sole, on the ventral side of the foot. The mucus produced by this gland becomes a thin layer covering the sole of the foot, and this helps the gastropod in

moving Moving or Movin' may refer to: Moving of goods * Relocation (personal), the process of leaving one dwelling and settling in another * Relocation of professional sports teams * Relocation (computer science) * Structure relocation Music Album ...

. There are

gland cell In animals, a gland is a group of cells in an animal's body that synthesizes substances (such as hormones) for release into the bloodstream ( endocrine gland) or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface ( exocrine gland). Structure ...

s in the suprapedal gland. For example, in the suprapedal gland of the land snail ''

Pomatias elegans ''Pomatias elegans'', common name the round-mouthed snail, is a species of small land snail with an operculum, a terrestrial gastropod mollusk in the family Pomatiidae within the superfamily Littorinoidea, the winkles and their allies. This s ...

'' there are three types of gland cells: cells producing

mucoprotein A mucoprotein is a glycoprotein composed primarily of mucopolysaccharides. Mucoproteins can be found throughout the body, including the gastrointestinal tract, reproductive organs, airways, and the synovial fluid of the knees. They are called muco ...

s, cells producing

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respon ...

s and cells producing sulphated

mucopolysaccharides Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) or mucopolysaccharides are long, linear polysaccharides consisting of repeating disaccharide units (i.e. two-sugar units). The repeating two-sugar unit consists of a uronic sugar and an amino sugar, except in the case ...

. For example, the land slug ''

Leidyula floridana ''Leidyula floridana'', common name the Florida leatherleaf, is a species of tropical air-breathing land slug, shell-less terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Veronicellidae. Distribution This slug is native to the Carib ...

'' has gland cells in the suprapedal gland which produce weakly acidic mucopolysaccharides, neutral mucopolysaccharides and a protein.Cook A. (1986) "Functional aspects of the mucus-producing glands of the Systellommatophoran slug, ''

Veronicella floridana ''Leidyula floridana'', common name the Florida leatherleaf, is a species of tropical air-breathing land slug, shell-less terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Veronicellidae. Distribution This slug is native to the Carib ...

''". ''Journal of Zoology'' 211(2): 291-305.

References

Further reading