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The esophageal glands are glands that are part of the digestive system of various animals, including humans.
There are two types:
Each opens upon the surface by a long excretory duct.
The size of the esophageal gland of the scaly-foot gastropod Chrysomallon squamiferum (family Peltospiridae within Neomphalina) is about two orders of magnitude over the usual size. The scaly-foot gastropod houses endosymbiotic bacteria in the esophageal gland. Chrysomallon squamiferum was thought to be the only species of Peltospiridae, that has an enlarged esophageal gland, but later it was shown that both species Gigantopelta the gland also enlarged. In other peltospirids, the posterior portion of the oesophagus forms a pair of blind mid-oesophageal pouches or gutters extending only to the anterior end of the foot ( Rhynchopelta, Peltospira, Nodopelta, Echinopelta, Pachydermia). The same situation is in Melanodrymia within the family Melanodrymiidae. Bathyphytophilidae and Lepetellidae are also known to have enlarged esophageal pouches, however, though not to the extent of Chrysomallon. Both are known to house endosymbiotic bacteria, in the case of bathyphytophilids most likely also in the esophageal glands but in the lepetellids the endosymbionts are spread in the hemocoel.
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