Apple snail

Ampullaria canaliculata

FAMILY

Ampullariidae

TAXONOMY

Ampullaria canaliculata Lamarck, 1819.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

None known.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Large globose shell, with whorls separated by deep channel; large, deep umbilicus. Shell smooth and yellow-green to brown in color, sometimes with darker spiral bands. Height 1.7–2.9 in (45–75 mm).

DISTRIBUTION

South America, but introduced throughout Asia for food. (Specific distribution map not available.)

HABITAT

Freshwater.

BEHAVIOR

Upon sensing chemical cues of potential predators (e.g., turtles) or of crushed snails, it releases, drops to the bottom, and buries itself.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Omnivorous; feeds on algae, terrestrial plants, detritus, and animal matter.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

Internal fertilization; pink to white egg masses deposited above water line in aerial conditions.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not listed by the IUCN.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

Intermediate host for trematodes, significant rice pest in Asia, and common in the aquarium trade.