Margarya; snail

The common name for the genus Snail of the family Conchidae in the phylum Mollusca in the order Gastropoda. The genus is endemic to China, distributed only in the lakes of Yunnan. The shell is large, more than 70 millimeters high. The shape is conical or tower conical; shell surface with spiny or papillate protrusions, or only smooth conch ribs. The operculum is a horny sheet. It is dioecious, oviparous, and reproduces throughout the year. The snail creeps to the bottom of the lake with a broad foot. Meat flavor is delicious, snail yellow (male gonads) is a favorite delicacy. Fossilized species of the snail genus have been found in the Cenozoic strata of Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi.

The snail

A mollusk. The body is divided into three parts, including the head, feet, and visceral sac, and the head has a mouth, eyes, antennae, and other sensory organs. There is a shell outside the body. The foot muscles of the field snail are well developed and located on the ventral surface of the body. The diaphragm on the bottom of the foot is called the operculum, which resembles a round lid. When in trouble or in need of rest, the snail shrinks its body in the shell and, through the muscle contraction of the foot, covers the shell tightly with the operculum. The field snail is edible, and the edible part is mainly its fleshy foot.