Suprapedal gland - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

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

Snail

Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...

s and slug

Slug

Slug is a common name that is normally applied to any gastropod mollusc that lacks a shell, has a very reduced shell, or has a small internal shell...

s. It is a gland

Gland

A gland is an organ in an animal's body that synthesizes a substance for release of substances such as hormones or breast milk, often into the bloodstream or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface .- Types :...

located inside the front end of the foot

Foot

The foot 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 made up of one or more segments or bones, generally including claws...

of gastropods.

The term suprapedal means "above the foot".

The function of this gland is to produce mucus

Mucus

In vertebrates, mucus is a slippery secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. Mucous fluid is typically produced from mucous cells found in mucous glands. Mucous cells secrete products that are rich in glycoproteins and water. Mucous fluid may also originate from mixed glands, which...

. The gland opens on the front end of the sole

Sole (foot)

The sole is the bottom of the foot.In humans the sole of the foot is anatomically referred to as the plantar aspect. The equivalent surface in ungulates is the hoof.- Human 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

Animal locomotion

Animal locomotion, which is the act of self-propulsion by an animal, has many manifestations, including running, swimming, jumping and flying. Animals move for a variety of reasons, such as to find food, a mate, or a suitable microhabitat, and to escape predators...

.

There are gland cells in the suprapedal gland. For example in the suprapedal gland of the land snail Pomatias elegans
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.-Distribution:...

there are three types of gland cells: cells producing mucoprotein

Mucoprotein

A mucoprotein is a glycoprotein composed primarily of mucopolysaccharides. It can be found in the synovial fluid of the knees....

s, cells producing protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

s and cells producing sulphated mucopolysaccharides. For example the land slug Leidyula floridana
Leidyula floridana
Leidyula floridana, common name the Florida leatherleaf, is a species of tropical air-breathing land slugs, shell-less terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Veronicellidae.- Distribution :...

has gland cells in the suprapedal gland which produce weakly acidic mucopolysaccharides, neutral mucopolysaccharides and a protein.

Further reading