Cell and Developmental Biology Commons^™

The Art Of A Slugslayer: An Exploration Of The Process Of Extracting Radulae From Lehmannia Valentiana For The Purpose Of Viewing In The Scanning Electron Microscope, Elizabeth Gannon

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

A radula is an anatomical structure found exclusively in mollusks that acts as both tongue and teeth in feeding. Its structure has been studied for more than a century, yet published methods for identifying, dissecting, and cleaning radulae for microscopy are almost unintelligible to anyone not already familiar with molluscan anatomy. The purpose of this project was to identify the best method of garden slug radula isolation and present it in a manner that anyone could understand and successfully use.

After identifying the location of the radula in the slug, the easiest means of removal proved to be simply regurgitating …