| Pomacea insularum | |
|---|---|
| shell of Pomacea insularum. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| (unranked): | clade Caenogastropoda informal group Architaenioglossa |
| Superfamily: | Ampullarioidea |
| Family: | Ampullariidae |
| Genus: | Pomacea |
| Subgenus: | Pomacea |
| Species: | P. insularum |
| Binomial name | |
| Pomacea insularum (d'Orbigny, 1835) |
|
Pomacea insularum, common name the island applesnail, is a species of freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Ampullariidae, the applesnails.
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The shells of these applesnails are globular in shape. Normal coloration typically includes bands of brown, black, and yellowish-tan. Color patterns are however extremely variable, and both albino and gold color variations exist.[1][2]
The size of the shell is up to 150 mm in length.[2]
The color of the body is grey-brown with dark spots.[3]
The indigenous distribution of Pomacea insularum is South America.[2] Pomacea insularum is reported from Argentina, Brazil, and Bolivia and it probably occurs in Uruguay and Paraguay.[4]
The type locality is the Río Paraná, which joins the Río Uruguay just above Buenos Aires, forming the Río de la Plata. The area between the Paraná and the Uruguay is the Argentine province of Entre Ríos, the southern part of which is marshy, with channels connecting the Paraná and the Uruguay.[4]
The initial introductions in the United States were probably from aquarium release, aka "aquarium dumping". The nonindigenous distribution includes the United States: Spring Hill Lake near Mobile, Alabama;[5] Lake Munson,[6] Lake Brantley,[7] and many other locations in Florida;[8] Alabaha River in Georgia;[9] American Canal and Mustang Bayou in Texas,[10] and in 2006 in Verret Canal in Gretna, Louisiana. Established populations exist in Florida, Georgia, and Texas.[2][4]
In Florida, Georgia, and Texas, initially the occurrences of Pomacea insularum were incorrectly identified as Pomacea canaliculata. Subsequent genetic testing confirmed that specimens collected in Florida, Georgia, and Texas were indeed Pomacea insularum.[4]
In Taiwan, where golden apple snails were introduced in Asia, Pomacea insularum maybe misidentified as Pomacea canaliculata.
This snail lays pink eggs in clutches above the water level.
This article incorporates a public domain work of the United States Government from the reference [2] and CC-BY-2.0 text from the reference.[4]