In malacology, a lamella (plural: lamellae) is a specific type of fold or tooth located on the inner boundary of the aperture.
Types One can discern following types:
parietal lamella: positioned on the wall that forms the inner boundary of the aperture. columellar lamella: positioned on the columella (central axis) - sometimes only on juveniles. palatal lamella: positioned on the outer lip.
Functional Purposes defense: The lamella narrows the entrance to the shell, making it much harder for small predators (like beetles or specialized "snail-eating" larvae) to crawl inside and reach the snail's soft body. water retention: By narrowing the aperture, the lamella helps reduce evaporation, allowing the snail to survive dry periods by keeping moisture trapped inside the shell. structural guidance: It acts as a guide for the snail's body as it retracts or emerges, often ensuring the soft tissue is positioned correctly against the columella.
Identification in taxonomy the parietal lamella is a key diagnostic feature (such as in the genus Auriculella), .
"valid" or "strong": a thick, obvious ridge. "obsolete": a ridge that is barely visible or has disappeared. branched": a complex lamella that splits into two or more ridges.
External links Yeung N.W., Slapcinsky J., Strong E.E., Kim J.R. & Hayes K.A. (2020). "Overlooked but not forgotten: the first new extant species of Hawaiian land snail described in 60 years, Auriculella gagneorum sp. nov. (Achatinellidae, Auriculellinae)". ZooKeys (950): 1–31. Bibcode:2020ZooK..950....1Y. doi:10.3897/zookeys.950.50669. PMC 7387373. PMID 32774098.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) This article incorporates text from this source, which is under a CC BY 4.0 license.



