Combined use of artificial intelligence and biological oscillatory growth model to explain the relationship: shell length vs. dye production in purple snail

Background. The purple snail is ancestrally important along the coast of Oaxaca as its dye is used by the indigenous Mixtec people to dye culturally valuable cotton yarns. A snail population located in a protected area named Huatulco National Park (HNP) is decreasing because specimens of all sizes are targeted more than once for dye extraction throughout the exploitation season (from October to March). This cultural practice occurs because the indigenous Mixtec people believe that dye production is continuous and increases proportionally in relation to shell length. Goals. The objective of this study was to establish the relationship between the total volume of extracted dye and the total length of the shell. Methods. In this study we implemented a neural regression model with artificial intelligence and a biological oscillatory growth model to demonstrate that dye production does not increase proportionally in relation to shell length. Results. The results suggest that snails of all sizes require a break to synthesize more dye after milking. Smaller snails of 2.7 to 4.2 cm produce a small volume of dye and conduct energy to growth, while larger snails of 4.8 to 7.7 cm produce a large volume of dye, but grow less. Conclusion. Our results allow us to conclude that dye production does not increase proportionally in relation to changes in shell length. At any size, a snail requires a rest to synthesize more dye after being milked. Special marks should be used to identify milked specimens in order to avoid repetitive dye extraction.