Ampullariidae,
commonly known as the apple
snail
A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class Gastro ...
s, is a
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
of large
freshwater snail
Freshwater snails are gastropod mollusks which live in fresh water. There are many different families. They are found throughout the world in various habitats, ranging from ephemeral pools to the largest lakes, and from small seeps and springs ...
s,
aquatic gastropod
The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda ().
This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...
mollusk
Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...
s with a
gill
A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...
and an
operculum. These snails simultaneously have a gill and a
lung
The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of t ...
as functional
respiratory
The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies grea ...
structures, which are separated by a division of the
mantle cavity
The mantle (also known by the Latin word pallium meaning mantle, robe or cloak, adjective pallial) is a significant part of the anatomy of molluscs: it is the dorsal body wall which covers the visceral mass and usually protrudes in the form of ...
. This adaptation allows these animals to be
amphibious. Species in this family are considered
gonochoristic
In biology, gonochorism is a sexual system where there are only two sexes and each individual organism is either male or female. The term gonochorism is usually applied in animal species, the vast majority of which are gonochoric.
Gonochorism c ...
, meaning that each individual organism is either male or female.
Systematics and taxonomy
Ampullariidae belongs to the superfamily
Ampullarioidea
Ampullarioidea is a Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic superfamily of freshwater snails, Aquatic animal, aquatic gastropod mollusks within the informal group Architaenioglossa, which belongs to the clade Caenogastropoda (unassigned).
Families
* Ampu ...
, and is also its
type family
In computer science, a type family associates data types with other data types, using a type-level function defined by an open-ended collection of valid instances of input types and the corresponding output types.
Type families are a feature of s ...
.
It comprised two subfamilies according to the
taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005,
which followed the classification proposed by Berthold (1991), including
Ampullariinae Gray, 1824, and
Afropominae Berthold, 1991. The current classification accepted by
WoRMS Worms may refer to:
*Worm, an invertebrate animal with a tube-like body and no limbs
Places
*Worms, Germany, a city
**Worms (electoral district)
*Worms, Nebraska, U.S.
*Worms im Veltlintal, the German name for Bormio, Italy
Arts and entertainme ...
includes Ampullariinae and
Pomaceinae Starobogatov, 1983.
Genera
Ampullariidae are probably of
Gondwana
Gondwana () was a large landmass, often referred to as a supercontinent, that formed during the late Neoproterozoic (about 550 million years ago) and began to break up during the Jurassic period (about 180 million years ago). The final stages ...
n origin,
and the
diversification
Diversification may refer to:
Biology and agriculture
* Genetic divergence, emergence of subpopulations that have accumulated independent genetic changes
* Agricultural diversification involves the re-allocation of some of a farm's resources to ...
of Ampullariidae started probably after the separation of the
African
African or Africans may refer to:
* Anything from or pertaining to the continent of Africa:
** People who are native to Africa, descendants of natives of Africa, or individuals who trace their ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa
*** Ethn ...
and
South American
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
continental plates
Plate tectonics (from the la, label=Late Latin, tectonicus, from the grc, τεκτονικός, lit=pertaining to building) is the generally accepted scientific theory that considers the Earth's lithosphere to comprise a number of large ...
.
The
sister group
In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree.
Definition
The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram:
Taxon A and t ...
of Ampullariidae has not been clearly identified yet.
A
cladogram
A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an evolutionary tree because it does not show how ancestors are related to d ...
showing
phylogenic
In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...
relations of 6 genera belonging to Ampullariidae was proposed by Jørgensen and colleagues in 2008.
There are nine extant
genera in the family Ampullariidae:
; Subfamily Ampullariinae
Gray, 1824
* tribe Ampullariini
** ''Ampullaria'' ''Lamarck, 1799'' – type genus of the subfamily Ampullariinae.,
This genus is not treated as a valid extant genus Ampullariidae and is considered a synonym of ''
Pila
Pila may refer to:
Architecture
* Pila (architecture), a type of veranda in Sri Lankan farm houses
Places
*Pila, Buenos Aires, a town in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
*Pila Partido, a country subdivision in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
* ...
''
Röding, 1798 .
[nomenclatorical details about ''Ampullaria'']
** '' Forbesopomus'' Bequaert & Clench, 1937
** ''Lanistes
''Lanistes'' is a genus of freshwater snails which have a gill and an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails.Bouchet, P.; Neubauer, Thomas A. (2015). Lanistes Montfort, 1810. In: MolluscaBase (2015) ...
'' Montfot, 1810
** ''Pila
Pila may refer to:
Architecture
* Pila (architecture), a type of veranda in Sri Lankan farm houses
Places
*Pila, Buenos Aires, a town in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
*Pila Partido, a country subdivision in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
* ...
'' Röding, 1798
* tribe Sauleini
** '' Saulea'' Gray, 1868 – type genus of the tribe Sauleini
Afropominae
* '' Afropomus'' Pilsbry & Bequaert, 1927 – type genus of the subfamily Afropominae, with the only species '' Afropomus balanoidea'' (Gould, 1850).[Brown D. S. (1994). ''Freshwater Snails of Africa and their Medical Importance''. ]Taylor & Francis
Taylor & Francis Group is an international company originating in England that publishes books and academic journals. Its parts include Taylor & Francis, Routledge, F1000 (publisher), F1000 Research or Dovepress. It is a division of Informa ...
. . It is treated by WoRMS as belonging to the subfamily Ampullariinae.
; Subfamily Pomaceinae Starobogatov, 1983
* '' Asolene'' d'Orbigny, 1838
* '' Felipponea'' (Dall, 1919)
* '' Marisa'' J. E. Gray, 1824
* ''Pomacea
''Pomacea'' is a genus of freshwater snails with gills and an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails. The genus is native to the Americas; most species in this genus are restricted to South America ...
'' Perry, 1810
;Unassigned to a subfamily:
* † '' Carnevalea'' Harzhauser & Neubauer, 2016[Harzhauser, M.; Neubauer, T. A.; Kadolsky, D.; Pickford, M.; Nordsieck, H. (2016). "Terrestrial and lacustrine gastropods from the Priabonian (upper Eocene) of the Sultanate of Oman". '' Paläontologische Zeitschrift'' 90(1): 63–99. ]
* † '' Doriaca'' Willmann, 1981
* † '' Euphepyrgula'' G.-X. Zhu, 1980
* † '' Mesolanistes'' Yen, 1945
* † '' Pictavia'' Cossmann, 1925
* '' Pomella'' Gray, 1847: synonym of ''Pomacea'' Perry, 1810
* † '' Pseudoceratodes'' Wenz, 1928
* † '' Sudanistes'' Harzhauser & Neubauer, 2017[Harzhauser, M., Neubauer, T. A., Bussert, R., & Eisawi, A. A. (2017). "Ampullariid gastropods from the Palaeogene Hudi Chert Formation (Republic of the Sudan)". '']Journal of African Earth Sciences
The ''Journal of African Earth Sciences'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Elsevier. It covers the earth sciences, primarily on issues that are relevant to Africa and the Middle East. The journal was established in 1983 and the ed ...
'' 129: 338–345.
;Synonyms:
* ''Effusa'' Jousseaume, 1889: synonym of ''Pomacea'' Perry, 1810 (junior synonym)
* ''Pomella''Gray, 1847: synonym of ''Pomacea'' Perry, 1810
* ''Ampullaria'' Lamarck, 1799: synonym of ''Pila'' Röding, 1798
* ''Ampullarius'' Montfort, 1810: synonym of ''Pila'' Röding, 1798 (invalid: unjustified emendation of Ampullaria)
* ''Ampulloidea'' d'Orbigny, 1841: synonym of '' Asolene'' d'Orbigny, 1838 (unnecessary substitute name for ''Asolene'')
* † ''Ampullopsis'' Repelin, 1902 : synonym of ''Pila'' Röding, 1798 (junior subjective synonym)
* ''Ceratodes'' Guilding, 1828: synonym of ''Marisa (gastropod)
''Marisa'' is a genus of freshwater snails in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails.
Species
There are two species:
* ''Marisa cornuarietis'' (Linnaeus, 1758)
* '' Marisa planogyra'' Pilsbry, 1933
Phylogeny
Based on analysis of mitocho ...
'' Gray, 1824 (junior objective synonym of ''Marisa'')
* Subfamily Lanistinae Starobogatov, 1983: synonym of Ampullariidae Gray, 1824
* ''Leroya'' Grandidier, 1887: synonym of ''Lanistes'' Montfort, 1810
* ''Limnopomus'' Dall, 1904: synonym of ''Pomacea'' Perry, 1810
* ''Meladomus'' Swainson, 1840: synonym of ''Lanistes'' Montfort, 1810
* ''Pachychilus'' Philippi, 1851: synonym of ''Pila'' Röding, 1798 (unjustified emendation of ''Pachylabra'')
* ''Pachylabra'' Swainson, 1840: synonym of ''Pila'' Röding, 1798 (unnecessary nom. nov. pro ''Pachystoma'' Guilding, 1828)
* ''Pachystoma'' Guilding, 1828: synonym of ''Pila'' Röding, 1798
* ''Pomus'' Gray, 1847: synonym of ''Pila'' Röding, 1798
* Tribe Sauleini Berthold, 1991: synonym of Ampullariidae Gray, 1824
* ''Turbinicola'' Annandale & Prashad, 1921: synonym of ''Pila'' Röding, 1798
Distribution
The genera ''Asolene'', ''Felipponea'', ''Marisa'', and ''Pomacea'' are New World
The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...
genera that are native to South America, Central America, the West Indies and the Southern United States. The genera ''Afropomus'', ''Lanistes'', and ''Saulea'' are found in Africa. The genus ''Pila'' is native to both Africa and Asia.[Hayes K. A., Cowie R. H. & Thiengo S. C. (2009). "A global phylogeny of apple snails: Gondwanan origin, generic relationships, and the influence of outgroup choice (Caenogastropoda: Ampullariidae)". '']Biological Journal of the Linnean Society
The ''Biological Journal of the Linnean Society'' is a direct descendant of the oldest biological journal in the world, the ''Transactions of the Linnean Society''. It succeeded the earlier title in 1969. The journal specializes in evolution, and ...
'' 98(1): 61–76. .
Ecology
Apple snails are exceptionally well adapted to tropical
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in
the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...
regions characterized by periods of drought alternating with periods of high rainfall. This adaptation is reflected in their life style; they are moderately amphibious. They have an operculum which enables the snail to seal the shell entrance to prevent drying out while they are buried in the mud during dry periods.
One of the more typical adaptations of apple snails is branchial respiration
Respiration may refer to:
Biology
* Cellular respiration, the process in which nutrients are converted into useful energy in a cell
** Anaerobic respiration, cellular respiration without oxygen
** Maintenance respiration, the amount of cellul ...
. The snail has a system comparable to the gill
A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...
s of a fish (at the right side of the snail body) to breathe under water as well as a lung
The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of t ...
(at the left side of the body) to respire air. This lung/gill combination expands the action radius of the snail in search for food. It is part of the snail's natural behaviour to leave the water when the food supply below the surface becomes inadequate.
Several apple snail genera (''Pomacea
''Pomacea'' is a genus of freshwater snails with gills and an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails. The genus is native to the Americas; most species in this genus are restricted to South America ...
'', ''Pila'' and ''Asolene/Pomella'') deposit egg
An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...
s above the waterline in calcareous
Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines.
In zoology
''Calcareous'' is used as an adje ...
clutches and can be recognized by the light pink color they resemble. This remarkable strategy of aquatic snails protects the eggs against predation
Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the ...
by fish and other aquatic inhabitants. Another anti-predator adaptation in the apple snail genera ''Pomacea'' and ''Pila'', is the tubular siphon
A siphon (from grc, σίφων, síphōn, "pipe, tube", also spelled nonetymologically syphon) is any of a wide variety of devices that involve the flow of liquids through tubes. In a narrower sense, the word refers particularly to a tube in a ...
, used to breathe air while submerged, reducing vulnerability to attacking birds.
The apple snail's usual enemies are the birds limpkin
The limpkin (''Aramus guarauna''), also called carrao, courlan, and crying bird, is a large wading bird related to rails and cranes, and the only extant species in the family Aramidae. It is found mostly in wetlands in warm parts of the America ...
and snail kite
The snail kite (''Rostrhamus sociabilis'') is a bird of prey within the family Accipitridae, which also includes the eagles, hawks, and Old World vultures. Its relative, the slender-billed kite, is now again placed in ''Helicolestes'', making ...
.
Apple snails inhabit various ecosystem
An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syste ...
s: ponds, swamps and rivers. Although they occasionally leave the water, they spend most of their time under water. Unlike the pulmonate
Pulmonata or pulmonates, is an informal group (previously an order, and before that a subclass) of snails and slugs characterized by the ability to breathe air, by virtue of having a pallial lung instead of a gill, or gills. The group includ ...
snail families, apple snails are not hermaphroditic
In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes.
Many taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrates) do not have separ ...
, but gonochoristic
In biology, gonochorism is a sexual system where there are only two sexes and each individual organism is either male or female. The term gonochorism is usually applied in animal species, the vast majority of which are gonochoric.
Gonochorism c ...
; i.e. they have separate sexes.
Human use
As a common aquarium animal
Apple snails are popular aquarium
An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...
pets because of their attractive appearance and size. When properly cared for, some apple snail species can reach diameter. Apple snails include species that are the biggest living freshwater snails on Earth.
The most common apple snail in aquarium shops are ''Pomacea bridgesii
''Pomacea bridgesii'', common names the spike-topped apple snail or mystery snail, is a South American species of freshwater snail with gills and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Ampullariidae. These snails were mos ...
'' and ''Pomacea diffusa
''Pomacea diffusa'', common name the spike-topped apple snail, is a species of freshwater snail, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails.
Taxonomy
''Pomacea diffusa'' was originally described as a subspecie ...
'', (both called ''mystery snails'' or ''spike-topped apple snails'', among other things). These species come in different colours from brown to albino or yellow and even blue, purple, pink, and jade, with or without banding. Another common apple snail is ''Pomacea canaliculata
''Pomacea canaliculata'', commonly known as the golden apple snail or the channeled apple snail, is a species of large freshwater snail with gills and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusc in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails.
S ...
''; this snail is bigger, rounder and is more likely to eat aquatic plants, which makes it less suitable for most aquaria. This species can also have different shell and body colours. The "giant ramshorn snail" (''Marisa cornuarietis
''Marisa cornuarietis'', common name the Colombian ramshorn apple snail, is a species of large freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusc in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snail family.
These snails are popular ...
'') although not always recognized as an apple snail due to its discoidal shape, is also a popular aquatic pet. Occasionally, the Florida apple snail (''Pomacea paludosa'') is found in the aquarium trade and these are often collected in the wild from ditches and ponds in Florida. The giant '' Pomacea maculata'' is rarely used as an aquarium species.
Apple snails are often sold under the name "golden (ivory, blue, black...) mystery snail" and they are given incorrect names like ''Ampullarius'' for the genus instead of ''Pomacea'' and wrong species names like ''gigas'' instead of ''maculata''.
Temperature
The optimal aquarium water temperature for apple snails is between . Apple snails are more active and lively in the higher part of this temperature range. In these higher temperatures, the snails tend to eat, crawl and grow faster. At the lower end of the temperature range, , the snails may become inactive.
As a pest
In the 1980s, ''Pomacea canaliculata
''Pomacea canaliculata'', commonly known as the golden apple snail or the channeled apple snail, is a species of large freshwater snail with gills and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusc in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails.
S ...
'' was introduced in Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
to start an escargot
Snails are considered edible in many areas such as the Mediterranean region, Africa, or Southeast Asia, while in other cultures, snails are seen as a taboo food. In American English, edible land snails are also called escargot, taken from the Fren ...
industry. It was thought that such food culture could provide valuable protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...
s for farmers, who primarily live on a rice diet. However, the snails did not become a culinary success. Additionally the imported snails (like the native apple snail population, ''Pila'') were able to transfer a parasite called ''Angiostrongylus cantonensis
''Angiostrongylus cantonensis'' is a parasitic nematode (roundworm) that causes angiostrongyliasis, the most common cause of eosinophilic meningitis in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Basin. The nematode commonly resides in the pulmonary arteries ...
'' (rat lungworm). This parasite can infect humans if snails are eaten that have not been thoroughly cooked first.
Instead of becoming a valuable food source, the introduced snails escaped and became a serious threat to rice production and the native ecosystems. During the 1980s the introduced snails rapidly spread to Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
, Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
, southern China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and the Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
experienced the same introduction of ''Pomacea'' for culinary purposes, and its taro
Taro () (''Colocasia esculenta)'' is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in Africa ...
industry is now suffering because of it.
Genera '' Marisa'', ''Pila
Pila may refer to:
Architecture
* Pila (architecture), a type of veranda in Sri Lankan farm houses
Places
*Pila, Buenos Aires, a town in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
*Pila Partido, a country subdivision in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
* ...
'' and ''Pomacea
''Pomacea'' is a genus of freshwater snails with gills and an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails. The genus is native to the Americas; most species in this genus are restricted to South America ...
'' (except ''Pomacea diffusa
''Pomacea diffusa'', common name the spike-topped apple snail, is a species of freshwater snail, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails.
Taxonomy
''Pomacea diffusa'' was originally described as a subspecie ...
'' and native '' Pomacea paludosa'') are already established in the US, and are considered to represent a potentially serious threat as a pest which could negatively affect agriculture, human health or commerce. Therefore, it has been suggested that these genera be given top national quarantine
A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...
significance in the US.
Nevertheless, apple snails are considered a delicacy in several regions of the world, and they are often sold in East and Pacific Asian markets for consumption.
As a bio-control agent
''Pomacea'' and '' Marisa'' species have been introduced to Africa and Asia in an attempt to control other medically problematic snails in the family Planorbidae: ''Bulinus
''Bulinus'' is a genus of small tropical freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Bulinidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Bulinus O. F. Müller, 1781. Accessed through: World ...
'' species and ''Biomphalaria
''Biomphalaria'' is a genus of air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails and their allies.MolluscaBase (2018). Biomphalaria Preston, 1910. Accessed through: World Regi ...
'' species, which serve as intermediate hosts for trematoda
Trematoda is a Class (biology), class of flatworms known as flukes. They are obligate parasite, obligate internal Parasitism, parasites with a complex biological life cycle, life cycle requiring at least two Host_(biology), hosts. The intermedia ...
parasite
Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...
s. These parasites can cause swimmers itch and schistosomiasis
Schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever, bilharzia, and Katayama fever, is a disease caused by parasitic flatworms called schistosomes. The urinary tract or the intestines may be infected. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody s ...
, a disease that affects over 200 million people in tropical regions. One of the species introduced as bio-agent is ''Marisa cornuarietis
''Marisa cornuarietis'', common name the Colombian ramshorn apple snail, is a species of large freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusc in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snail family.
These snails are popular ...
''; this snail competes with other snails and also directly preys on other species.
As food
In Veracruz
Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...
, Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, there is a subspecies of apple snail known as '' Pomacea patula catemacensis'' Baker, 1922. This subspecies is endemic to Lake Catemaco
Laguna Catemaco ( es, Laguna de Catemaco) is a freshwater lake located at the center of the Sierra de Los Tuxtlas in south central Veracruz near the city of Catemaco, in east central Mexico.
Name
The word lagoon in English, and ''laguna'' in Sp ...
. This large snail is locally known as "tegogolo" and is prized as a nutritious food item, with approximately 12 grams of protein per 100 grams of apple snail flesh according to th
apple snail nutritional information
They are also low in fat and high in minerals. Only wild or specifically cultured apple snails are fit for human consumption; those found in domestic aquaria may be unsuitable.
References
Further reading
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External links
Applesnail website
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Oxfordian first appearances
Extant Late Jurassic first appearances
Taxa named by John Edward Gray