''Pomacea'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

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 with

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 and an operculum, 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 in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails. The genus is native to

the Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America, North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. ...

; most species in this genus are restricted to South America. in the

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 ...

trade these snails are sometimes called ''Pomacea'' or incorrectly ''Ampullarius'', and in English as "

olor An olor is a piece of cowhide or plastic tied onto a male goat like a skirt. It is used by Kenyan goatherders to prevent bucks from impregnating the female goats during times of drought. References External links

Society of Kenya Contra ...

mystery snail" or "

apple snail Ampullariidae, commonly known as the apple snails, is a family of large freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks with a gill and an operculum. These snails simultaneously have a gill and a lung as functional respiratory structures, which ...

". Some species have been introduced outside their native range and are considered invasive because of their voracious appetite for plants. Because of this, imports involving this genus are restricted in some regions (including the United States) and are entirely banned in others (including the EU).Dawes, J. (14 January 2013).
International Waters: EU Finally Bans Apple Snail Imports.
'' Retrieved 4 June 2014

Species

Species in the genus ''Pomacea'' include: subgenus ''Effusa'' Jousseaume, 1889 * ''

Pomacea baeri ''Pomacea baeri'' is a South American species of freshwater snail with gills and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusc in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails. Distribution ''P. baeri'' is endemic to Peru; it has been collected from ...

'' (Dautzenberg, 1902) * ''

Pomacea glauca ''Pomacea glauca'' is a species of freshwater snail, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails. The species varies greatly in color, shape and size, growing to around 70 mm. Its colors include a pale yellow ...

'' (Linné, 1758) * ''

Pomacea quinindensis ''Pomacea quinindensis'' is a South American species of freshwater snail with gills and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusc in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails. Distribution ''P. quinindensis'' is endemic to Ecuador E ...

'' (K. Miller, 1879) subgenus ''Pomacea'' Perry, 1810 * ''

Pomacea aldersoni ''Pomacea aldersoni'' is a South American species of freshwater snail with gills and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusc in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails. Etymology ''P. aldersoni'' is named after the British conchologist ...

'' (Pain, 1946)IUCN 2014. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1

Downloaded on 01 July 2014. * ''

Pomacea auriformis ''Pomacea auriformis'' is a species of freshwater snail in the family Ampullariidae, described by Lovell Augustus Reeve in 1856 as ''Ampullaria auriformis''. Its distribution is along the Caribbean coast of Central America Central America ...

'' (Reeve, 1856) * ''

Pomacea aurostoma ''Pomacea aurostoma'' is a South American species of freshwater snail with gills and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusc in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails. Distribution The native distribution of ''P. aurostoma'' is Colombia ...

'' (Lea, 1856) * ''

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 most l ...

'' (Reeve, 1856) * ''

Pomacea camena ''Pomacea camena'' is a South American species of freshwater snail with gills and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusc in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails. Distribution ''P. camena'' is endemic to Venezuela Venezuela (; ...

'' (Pain, 1949) * ''

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 ...

'' (Lamarck, 1819)"''Pomacea''"
The apple snail website, Accessed 12 May 2011. * ''

Pomacea catamarcensis ''Pomacea catamarcensis'' is a South American species of freshwater snail with gills and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusc in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails. Distribution ''P. catamarcensis'' is endemic to Peru , ...

'' (Sowerby, 1874) * ''

Pomacea columellaris ''Pomacea columellaris'' is a South American species of freshwater snail in the apple snail family, ''Ampullariidae''. Taxonomy ''Pomacea columellaris'' was originally described as ''Ampullaria columellaris'' by Augustus Addison Gould in 184 ...

'' (Gould, 1848) * '' Pomacea commissionis'' (Ihering, 1898) * '' Pomacea cousini'' (Jousseaume, 1877) * '' Pomacea cumingii'' (P. P. King & Broderip, 1831) * '' Pomacea decussata'' (Moricand) * ''

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 ...

'' Blume, 1957 * ''

Pomacea dolioides ''Pomacea dolioides'' is a South American species of freshwater snail with gills and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails. Distribution The native distribution of this snail is Brazil ...

'' (Reeve, 1856) * '' Pomacea eximia'' (Dunker, 1853) * '' Pomacea falconensis'' Pain & Arias, 1958 * '' Pomacea fasciata'' (Roissy, 1805) * '' Pomacea flagellata'' (Say, 1827) * ''

Pomacea haustrum ''Pomacea haustrum'', common name the titan applesnail, is a species of large freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Ampullariidae, the applesnails. Original description ''Pomacea haustrum'' was origin ...

'' (Reeve, 1856) * '' Pomacea hollingsworthi'' (Pain, 1946) * '' Pomacea lineata'' (Spix, 1827) * ''

Pomacea maculata ''Pomacea maculata'' is a species of large freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails. Common name of its synonymous name ''Pomacea insularum'' is the island applesnail. Toge ...

'' Perry, 1810 - synonyms: ''Ampullaria gigas'' Spix, 1827; ''Pomacea insularum'' (D'Orbigny, 1839)Hayes K. A., Cowie R. H., Thiengo S. C. & Strong E. E. (2012). "Comparing apples with apples: clarifying the identities of two highly invasive Neotropical Ampullariidae (Caenogastropoda)". ''

Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society The ''Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering zoology published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Linnean Society. The editor-in-chief is Maarten Christenhusz (Linnean Society). ...

'' 166(4): 723-753. . * '' Pomacea megastoma'' (Sowerby I, 1825) * '' Pomacea ocanensis'' (Kobelt, 1914) * '' Pomacea occulta'' (Q.-Q. Yang & X.-P. Yu, 2019) * ''

Pomacea paludosa ''Pomacea paludosa'', common name the Florida applesnail, is a species of freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails. Shell description This species is the largest freshwa ...

'' (Say, 1829) * '' Pomacea papyracea'' (Spix, 1827) * '' Pomacea pealiana'' (Lea, 1838) * '' Pomacea poeyana'' (Pilsbry, 1927)Vázquez A. A. & Perera S. (2010). "Endemic Freshwater molluscs of Cuba and their conservation status". ''

Tropical Conservation Science Mongabay (mongabay.com) is a conservation news web portal that reports on environmental science, energy, and green design, and features extensive information on tropical rainforests, including pictures and deforestation statistics for countries ...

'' 3(2): 190-199
HTMPDF
* '' Pomacea prunella'' (Hupé, 1857) * '' Pomacea reyrei'' (Cousin, 1887) * ''

Pomacea scalaris ''Pomacea scalaris'' is a species of freshwater snail of the Ampullariidae (common name "apple snail") family, described by Alcide d'Orbigny Alcide Charles Victor Marie Dessalines d'Orbigny (6 September 1802 – 30 June 1857) was a French na ...

'' (D'Orbigny, 1835) * '' Pomacea sinamarina'' (Bruguière, 1792) * ''

Pomacea urceus ''Pomacea urceus'' is a species of freshwater gastropod in the family Ampullariidae Ampullariidae, commonly known as the apple snails, is a family of large freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks with a gill and an operculum. T ...

'' (Müller, 1774) * '' Pomacea vexillum'' (Reeve, 1856) * '' Pomacea zischkai'' (Blume & Pain, 1952)

As invasive species

Because of the potential to destroy aquatic and marsh vegetation in the wild, the European Union has banned all imports of snails from the family Ampullariidae, which includes the genus ''Pomacea''. Similarly, the United States prohibits all members of Ampullariidae except one from being imported or transported interstate, except with a permit for the purposes of research. The sole exception to this is ''

'' (formerly '' P. bridgesii'') as it is not known to be an agricultural pest.

References

External links

applesnails of Florida, ''Pomacea'' spp.
on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site {{Taxonbar, from=Q27380 * Gastropod genera