Red-rimmed melania
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| Malaysian trumpet snail | ||||||||||||||
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| Melanoides tuberculatus (O. F. Müller, 1774) |
The red-rimmed melania Melanoides tuberculatus is a small freshwater snail with an operculum, a parthenogenetic, aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Thiaridae.
This species is native to subtropical and tropical Africa and Asia.
It is primarily a burrowing species that tends to be most active at night. Average shell length is around 30-36 mm but exceptional specimens may be up to 80 mm long. It feeds primarily on algae. The common name comes from the presence of reddish spots on the otherwise greenish-brown shell.[1]
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[edit] Biology
Red-rimmed melania populations appear to consist entirely of females, and as yet no males have been observed. Under good conditions, females will produce fertilise eggs that transferred to a brood pouch where they remain until they hatch.[2] Snails will begin reproducing a small as 10 mm in length and broods may contain over seventy offspring.[1]
Although normally a freshwater snail this species is very tolerant of brackish water and has been recorded in waters with a salinity of 30 ppt (about 85% the salinity of normal seawater). It is however a warm-climate species and appears to prefer a temperature range of 18 to 25°C.[1]
[edit] As an introduced species
This species has become established outside of its natural range at least in part through the activities of aquarists.[1] Some of these exotic populations have become very large, with densities of 10,000 per square metre being reported from the St. Johns River in Florida.[2] In some cases red-rimmed melanias are believed to have a negative impact on native snail populations.[1]
[edit] Economic significance
[edit] Agricultural pests
Red-rimmed melanias may be a pest species in some instances, as has been reported on Chinese cabbage plantations in Hong Kong.[1]
[edit] Parasitology
Red-rimmed melanias are known to carry certain parasites dangerous to Man, including the Oriental lung fluke and Chinese liver fluke.[1]
[edit] Aquaria
Red-rimmed melanias are quite commonly found in freshwater aquaria; opinion in the hobby is divided between those who see them as a pest and those who value their usefulness as algae-eaters and substrate-cleaners.[3] Among aquarists, these snails are known as Malayan livebearing snails or Malayan trumpet snails (often abbreviated to MTS).[2]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g University of Southern Mississippi/College of Marine Sciences/Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (2005-08-03). Fact Sheet for Melanoides tuberculata (Müller, 1774). Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission. Retrieved on 2007-04-08.
- ^ a b c G. Pererea & J. G. Walls (1996) Apple Snails in the Aquarium, pp 102-105. ISBN 0793820855
- ^ Riehl R. & Baensch H: Aquarium Atlas (vol. 1) p. 899, Voyageur Press, 1996, ISBN 3882440503
[edit] External Links
[Common Freshwater Aquarium Snail Photos http://www.theteh.com/html/my_aquarium_snails_collection.html]
