Heamolymph Mineral Composition of two species of Land snail fed with Moringa oleifera leaf meal

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of Moringa oleifera Leaf meal on haemolymph mineral composition of Giant land snail (Archachatina marginata) and the Garden snail (Achatina fulica). The experiment was designed on a 4×3 Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with four dietary treatments of 0%, 10%, 15% and 20% levels of M. oleifera inclusion over a period of 16weeks. A total of one hundred and forty four (144) snails, 72 of each species were used for the investigation. Each treatment had three replicates with 6 snails per replicate and 18 snails per treatment for each species of snail. Results obtained showed that the haemolymph mineral composition (Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium, Iron, Phosphorus and Chlorine) of the two species (A. marginata and A. fulica) were highest in both species subjected to treatment with 20% M. oleifera while the least was recorded in the control. However, Copper and Sodium were recorded highest in the control while the least was recorded in treatment with 20% M. oleifera inclusion. This study showed that haemolymph mineral composition indices are the reflections of the effect of dietary treatment on the animals in terms of the type and amount of feed ingested.