Marisa cornuarietis

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Marisa cornuarietis

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Order:	Mesogastropoda
Suborder:	Prosobranchia
Family:	Ampullariidae
Genus:	Marisa
Species:	M. cornuarietis

Binomial name

Marisa cornuarietis

Marisa cornuarietis is a species of freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Ampullariidae the apple snail family.

This snail lays eggs below the waterline and eats aquatic plants, algae, and dead fish and snails. It is a popular species in the aquarium trade.

Although Marisa snails superficially resemble ram's horn snails or ramshorn snails because of the shape of their shells, they are not at all closely related to the snails in that family.

Marisa cornuarietis is one of about 120 species belonging to the Ampullariidae family, also known as the apple snail family (and sometimes called Pilidae). These apple snails are commonly sold in pet stores under the misleading name of "giant ramshorn snail" or "Columbian ramshorn snail".

Traditionally Marisa cornuarietis are purchased intentionally from pet stores, while true ramshorn snails (family Planorbidae) are usually considered pests purchased accidentally clinging to leaves of aquatic plants. These apple snails grow to be much larger than ramshorn snails, and they consume large amounts of plant matter. That means they are not suitable for an aquarium where plant growth is being encouraged.

[edit] Use as biological control

Marisa cornuarietis are used as biological control to reduce the number of Biomphalaria, which are intermediate hosts to the disease Schistosomiasis. Schistosoma larvae (cercariae), namely of Schistosoma haematobium, enter and develop inside the Biomphlaria, to form miracidium which can penetrate through skin to enter the human body.

Marisa cornuarietis compete with these vectors (Biomphalaria) for food and eat its eggs, thereby effectively reducing the chances of Schistosomia being spread.