Pomacea paludosa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pomacea paludosa Temporal range: Pliocene-present
Colored engraving of a live Pomacea paludosa made by Helen Lawson († 1854) and published in 1845 A monograph of the freshwater univalve Mollusca of the United States: including notices of species in other parts of North America by Samuel Stehman Haldeman.
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
(unranked):	clade Caenogastropoda informal group Architaenioglossa
Superfamily:	Ampullarioidea
Family:	Ampullariidae
Genus:	Pomacea
Subgenus:	Pomacea
Species:	P. paludosa
Binomial name
Pomacea paludosa (Say, 1829)
Synonyms
Ampullaria caliginosa Reeve, 1856 Ampullaria depressa Say, 1824 (invalid: junior homonym of Ampullaria depressa Lamarck, 1804; A. paludosa is a replacement name) Ampullaria hopetonensis I. Lea, 1834 Ampullaria miamiensis Pilsbry, 1899 Ampullaria paludosa Say, 1829 (original combination) Ampullaria pinei Dall, 1898 (junior synonym) Pomacea (Pomacea) paludosa (Say, 1829) · accepted, alternate representation Pomacea paludosa flava M. Smith, 1937

The Florida applesnail (scientific name: Pomacea paludosa) is a type of freshwater snail. It's an aquatic gastropod mollusk. This means it's a snail that lives in water and has a shell. It belongs to the apple snail family, called Ampullariidae. These snails have a special lid called an operculum that closes their shell opening.

About the Florida Applesnail Shell

Five views of a Florida applesnail shell.

The Florida applesnail is the largest freshwater snail found naturally in North America. Its shell is shaped like a globe. The shell's whorls (the turns of the spiral) are wide. The spire, which is the pointed top, is a bit flat. The opening of the shell, called the aperture, is a narrow oval shape.

The shells are usually brown and have stripes. They can grow to be about 60 millimetres (2.4 in) (about 2.4 inches) long and wide.

Where Florida Applesnails Live

Florida applesnails are originally from central and southern Florida. They are also found in Cuba and Hispaniola.

These snails have also spread to other places. You can now find them in northern Florida. They have also been seen in Georgia, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. They have even been found on Oahu, Hawaii.

Florida Applesnail Ecology and Habitat

The maturation of eggs of Pomacea paludosa: freshly laid eggs in a thick mucus matrix have a salmon coloration (left). Mature eggs in calcified shells are pinkish white in color (right).

This snail is a tropical species, meaning it prefers warm climates. It is an amphibious animal. This means it can live both in water and on land for periods of time.

Florida applesnails can survive even if the water bodies they live in dry up during the dry season. This is because they have both gills, like fish, and lungs, like land animals. This unique feature helps them breathe in different environments.