Florida Apple snail

Description

Pomacea paludosa, common name the Florida applesnail, is a species of freshwater snail with an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails. This species is the largest freshwater gastropod native to North America. The shell is globose in shape. The whorls are wide, the spire is depressed, and the aperture is narrowly oval. The shells are brown in color, and have a pattern of stripes. The shell is 60 mm in both length and width. The indigenous distribution of this snail is central and southern Florida, Cuba and Hispaniola. The nonindigenous distribution includes northern Florida. The species has also been found in Georgia, Oahu, Hawaii (Devick 1991), Louisiana, and Oklahoma. This is a tropical species. It is amphibious, and can survive in water bodies that dry out during the dry season. Applesnails have both gills and lungs. Pomacea is a genus of freshwater snails with gills and an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails. The genus is native to the Americas; most species in this genus are restricted to South America. in the aquarium trade these snails are sometimes called Pomacea or incorrectly Ampullarius, and in English as " mystery snail" or "apple snail". Some species have been introduced outside their native range and are considered invasive because of their voracious appetite for plants. Because of this, imports involving this genus are restricted in some regions (including the United States) and are entirely banned in others (including the EU).