island applesnail
U.S. Nativity: Exotic
Habit: Snails, Slugs, and Mussels
Pomacea maculata Perry, 1810
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Taxonomic Rank: Gastropoda: Architaenioglossa: Ampullariidae
Origin
Pomacea maculata is a species of large, globular, freshwater snail native to tropical and sub-tropical South America. The thin fragile shells can reach up to 6 in. (15 cm) high and are higher than they are wide. Color can range from pale to darker olive green often with a faint dark band. Their name comes from the dark spots on the inside of their shell. P. maculata feeds on a large variety of aquatic plants in freshwater ponds, lakes, swamps and other wetlands. This species can easily be mistaken for other related snail species such as Pomacea canaliculata and Pomacea lineata. A recent study shows P. canaliculata and P. maculata can hybridize.
Life Cycle
In P. maculata the sexes are separate. Females lay clusters of bright pink eggs above the water line. They are attached to emergent vegetation or any dry emergent surface. Within 7-15 days the eggs usually hatch. Each mass of eggs can contain over 2000 eggs. Females can live up to 4 years and lay eggs as often as once a week during the growing season. Sexual maturity is reached when the snail reaches a certain size.
Distribution
P. maculata range from sub-tropical to tropical zones, but cannot tolerate temperatures below 50° F. They have been reported in Florida, Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Puerto Rico. They are considered a serious crop pest of rice in Asia.
Control Efforts
Preventive measures that enforce strict quarantine should help reduce or prevent the spread or introduction of Pomacea to new areas. Handpicking can remove both snails and eggs. Other animals, including some birds, also eat these snails.
Identification, Biology, Control and Management Resources
Selected Images from Invasive.orgView All Images at Invasive.org


Adult(s); Mating Island Apple Snails
Jess Van Dyke, Snail Busters, LLC, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Egg(s); Island Apple Snail laying eggs.
Jess Van Dyke, Snail Busters, LLC, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Adult(s); Mating Island Apple Snails
Jess Van Dyke, Snail Busters, LLC, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Infestation; Island Apple Snails eating Soft-stemmed Rush
Jess Van Dyke, Snail Busters, LLC, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage

Control; Island Apple Snail eating bait
Jess Van Dyke, Snail Busters, LLC, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Infestation; Island Apple Snails consuming Soft-stemmed Rush (Juncus effusus) and Sagittaria (Sagittaria lancifolia).
Jess Van Dyke, Snail Busters, LLC, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Egg(s);
Jess Van Dyke, Snail Busters, LLC, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
Infestation; Island Apple Snails eating Sagittaria
Jess Van Dyke, Snail Busters, LLC, Bugwood.org
Additional Resolutions & Image Usage
EDDMapS Distribution:
This map is incomplete and is based only on current site and county level reports made by experts and records obtained from USDA Plants Database. For more information, visit www.eddmaps.org 		 


State List
This map identifies those states that list this species on their invasive species list or law.

Invasive Listing Sources: