CHARLES H.
BRONSON
DACS-P-00085
Inside this issue:
Apple Snail Identifica-
tion
U.S. Regulations 1&2
Apple Snail Taxonomy
Apple Snail Identifica-
tion (continued)
Apple Snail Biology
Florida Prohibited Snails
Apple Snail Biology
(continued)
Shell Morphology
This publication is intended
to educate farmers about
apple snails, it is not meant
to be a guide for definitive
identification.
COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE
Apple Snails
August 9, 2002; revised August 25, 2006
Snails: A Common Aquarium Product
Apple snails, Family Ampullaridae, are well-known and popu-
2
lar aquarium snails throughout the world because of their feed-
ing characteristics that clean aquariums
and attractive appearance, shape and
size. Members of the apple snail family
2 are the biggest living freshwater snails
on earth.
3
A common apple snail in aquarium
shops is Pomacea bridgesi (spike-topped apple snail). The pic-
3 tures shown here illustrate the different shell colors, from brown to albino or yellow
4
and even blue, with or without banding, found in the aquar-
ium trade and produced in Florida (a yellow variant is
4 known in the trade as the “golden mystery snail”). The liv-
ing tissue also varies in color from black to yellow or gray.
These wonderful combination of colors makes this snail an
attractive and interesting addition to hobbyist aquariums.
U.S. Regulations concerning Apple Snails
The United States De- ampullacea, Pila conica,
partment of Agriculture, Pila polita, and Lanistes
Animal and Plant Health varicus, and 3) routinely
Inspection Service inspect shipments of
USDA-APHIS), aquatic plants
implemented ex- and aquarium
isting regulations supplies that may
on April 5, 2006 contain aquatic
to: 1) require im- snails. P. canaliculata yellow phase
porters and inter- A permit request
state sellers of ma- for any other a variety of states and
rine and freshwa- P. canaliculata genera or species nations. The State of
ter aquatic snails in this family Mississippi prohibited all
to acquire a three-year will be considered by members of the apple
permit, 2) prohibit the APHIS on a case-by-case snail family Ampullarii-
importation or interstate basis. Interstate movement dae calling them
movement of Pomacea permits will be issued for “destructive plant eating
canaliculata, P. glauca, Pomacea bridgesi. apple snails.” Texas, Ha-
P. haustrum, P. lineate, waii, California and Lou-
P. paludosa, P. urceus, The USDA permit was isiana have identified
Marisa cornuarietis, Pila supported by the actions of (continued on page 2)
PAGE 2 A PP L E S N A I LS DACS- P- 00085

Apple Snail Identification shape. When at-

tempting to iden-
Apple snails can be con- tify snails ignore
When the snail has a the animal and
fused with snails from the
flat shell and has a size shell colors when
Family Viviparidae. The
over one inch, with or comparing them
snails from this family
without dark stripes, it with pictures.
look very similar in shape
probably is Marisa cor- Many color varia-
and color, but they do lack
nuarietis, giant ram- tions (shell and P. canaliculata
a lung, a siphon and labial
shorn snail. This snail body) exist within egg mass.
tentacles (the small tenta- The extended siphon
is not always recog- a single species
cles near the mouth). In allows a submerged
apple snail to breathe. nized as an apple snail (please note the variety of colors for
contrast with the egg-
due to its different ap- each species pictured in
laying Ampullariidae
pearance. this technical bulletin).
snails, the Viviparidae snails are
live bearing. Similar in size and An excellent source for
shape to P. bridgesi color pictures and an
If a snail grows over four inches, and P. canaliculata interactive, three-
and has somewhat indented sutures is an apple snail na- dimensional representa-
like P. canaliculata, then the animal tive to Florida, P. tive of each species,
is probably P. maculata. This spe- paludosa, the Flor- please visit http://
cies is considered to be the largest Marisa cornuarietis
ida apple snail. www.apple snail.net.
freshwater snail on earth. More
common, and also rather large, is P. A quick method for differentiating
(continued on page three)
haustrum. apple snails can be based on shell

U.S. Regulations (continued from page one)

P. canaliculata as apple snail populations have greatly aquaculturists culturing aquatic
an agricultural pest expanded throughout the state and snails must annually acquire an
that can negatively anecdotal evidence suggests that Aquaculture Certificate of Registra-
impact rice, taro and these snails may effect native aquatic tion from the Florida Department of
the production of plant populations which are impor- Agriculture and Consumer Services,
other aquatic plants. tant habitat for native report the species they are
Florida biologists fish and wildlife. culturing, include their
first observed chan- P. canaliculata: Ampullariidae species certificate number on in-
neled apple snails in yellow phase (apple snails) are not voices and packaging,
1987 in the canal prohibited or re- and implement Aquacul-
systems south of Lake Okeechobee. stricted in the State of ture Best Management
Within the past 10 years, channeled Florida. Commercial Practices.

Apple Snail Taxonomy

Apple snails belong to the genera Asolene, Felipponea, both Africa
phylum Mollusca, class Gas- Marisa, and Pomacea are the and Asia.
tropoda (snails), subclass Pro- New World genera (South However, P. haustrum
sobranchia, order America, Central America, the number
Mesogastropoda, family Am- the West Indies and the of genera is open to debate and
pullariidae (apple snails). P. f. flagellata Southern United States), much work needs to be done to
The Ampullariidae family is while the genera Afropomus, identify all species, to rule out the
divided into several genera with Lanistes and Saulea are found in misidentified species and to remove
about 120 different species. The Africa. The genus Pila is native in synonymous species.
DACS- P- 00085
Apple Snail Identification (continued from page two)
The shell of P. bridgesi, spike-
topped apple snail, has about 5 to 6
whorls. The most obvious charac-
teristic of the shell are the square
shoulders (flat at the top of the
whorls) with almost 90° sutures.
The shell opening is large and oval,
the umbilicus (the deep pit in the
center of the shell) is large and
deep. The size of the shell varies
from 40-50 mm wide and 45-65
mm high. The spire is high and
sharp, hence the common name,
spike-topped apple snail.
Apple Snail Biology
Apple snails inhabit a wide range of
ecosystems from swamps, ditches
and ponds to lakes and rivers. Most
apple snail species prefer still rather
than moving water.
The respiratory system of the apple
snail is highly adapted to tropical
climates that consist of wet and dry
A PP L E S N A I LS
P. canaliculata, channeled apple
snail, has a globose (round) shell
and the shell can be relatively
heavy (especially in older snails).
The 5 to 6 whorls are separated by
deep, indented sutures (hence the
name 'canaliculata' or 'channeled')
that are less than a 90° angle. The
shell opening is large and oval to
round. Males are known to have a
rounder aperture than females. The
umbilicus is large and deep. The
size of this snail varies from 40 to
60 mm wide and 45 to 75 mm high.
seasons. The seasonal abundance of
water is reflected in the apple snails
respiration system: a combination
of both a gill and a lung.
Apple snails can remain active
throughout the year or enter periods
of aestivation depending on envi-
ronmental conditions. The main
PAGE 3
P. paludosa, Florida apple snail, is
globose with a shell opening that is
large and oval. The umbilicus is
large and deep. The overall size
can vary from 40 to 55 mm wide
and 45 to 65 mm high. This apple
snail has almost flat sutures with
greater a than 90° angle, which
gives the snail a cone shaped shell
top (spine).
factors that determine apple snail ac-
tivity are temperature, rainfall and
food availability. Temperature and
rainfall are the prime determinants.
During aestivation apple snails bury
in mud and their metabolism slows
down. Apple snails that inhabit areas
without a distinctive dry-wet season
(continued on page four)
CHARLES H. BRONSON
COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE
Florida Prohibited Snails
FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
AND CONSUMER SERVICES The following terrestrial snails are considered injurious to
Division of Aquaculture
Florida agriculture. Introduction or distribution of these snails
1203 Governor’s Square Boulevard, Fifth Floor to Florida is prohibited under Chapter 5B-43, Phytophagous
Tallahassee, Florida 32301 Snails, Florida Administrative Code. This prohibition includes
Phone: 850-488-4033
Fax: 850-410-0893
snails in all live stages of development. Dead, canned or non-
living, processed snails are exempt:
Our thanks to Stijn Ghesquiere, Ann Wildman (USDA) and
the Invasive Species Working Group for generously providing • Achatina spp. (Example: giant African snail).
information and images. We also thank six reviewers for • Helix spp. (Example: brown garden snail).
valuable improvements. Please visit http://www.applesnail.net
for additional apple snail information. • Theba pisana Muller (white garden snail).
• Megalobulimus oblongus Muller (giant South American
snail).
OR
ID A
D E PA R
T M EN T O F AGRI C
U LT
UR
• Any other plant-feeding snail (i.e., phytophabous) which
FL E
may be determined by Florida Department of Agriculture
and Consumer Services order or rule to be injurious to
Florida agriculture.
AND
C ON S UM ER S E R VI C ES In addition, certain states and regions of the world are known
to be infested with these snails. Materials shipped from those
Safeguarding the public, protecting areas that can harbor the snails must include a certificate is-
the environment and supporting sued by and bearing the signature of an authorized inspector of
Florida agriculture. the government of origin, certifying that materials contained in
the shipment were inspected and found to be free of the plant-
feeding snails listed above. For additional information, contact
Visit
the Division of Plant Industry, Bureau of Plant and Apiary In-
http://www.FloridaAquaculture.com
spection, at 352-372-3505.

Apple Snail Biology (continued from page 3)

will have a temperature-
based life cycle and oc-
casionally hibernate if
food availability de-
creases in the cold sea-
son. All apple snails
require subtropical or
tropical temperatures
and do not inhabit re-
gions where the tem- P. canaliculata surface feeding a foot-funnel in
perature drops below
50°F in the winter months.
Apple snails are herbivorous, gener-
ally preferring soft vegetation.
They will consume tougher plants
and algae as long as they are able to
grasp pieces with their radula
(rasping organ). Although the radu-
lar system is almost identical
throughout the apple snail species,
some species have stronger and lar-
ger teeth than oth- Apple snails also consume all kinds
ers. of dead animals including fish,
Another strategy frogs, crustaceans, insects and the
used to attain food eggs of fish, frogs, snails and in-
is surface film sects. The high nutritional value of
feeding when food these food sources fits well in their
is floating. The survival strategies.
snail crawls to the The reproductive cycle of apple
surface and forms snails is determined by food avail-
ability and water temperature. Dur-
which particles ing periods of high temperature and
from the surface are trapped and abundant food, some apple snail
eaten. species have a very short life cycle
Many apple snail species are known from egg to adult of less than three
to eat other snail eggs. Egg con- months (60 days in the case of P.
sumption is quite common, while canaliculata) and can reproduce
snail predation occurs during peri- throughout the year. The total
ods of starvation, but can happen number of eggs laid is species de-
when food is in excess. In extreme pendent and can vary from 100 to
cases (prolonged starvation) apple 1,000.
snails are known to be cannibalistic.

DACS-P-00085