Pomacea bridgesii

For the species formerly known as Pomacea bridgesii, see Pomacea diffusa.

Pomacea bridgesii, common name the gold Inca snail, spike-topped apple snail or mystery snail, is a South American species of freshwater snail with gills and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Ampullariidae. These snails were most likely introduced to the United States through the aquarium trade.^[2]

Pomacea bridgesii
Pomacea bridgesii in aquarium
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Subclass:	Caenogastropoda
Order:	Architaenioglossa
Family:	Ampullariidae
Genus:	Pomacea
Species:	P. bridgesii
Binomial name
Pomacea bridgesii (Reeve, 1856)

Subspecies

• Pomacea bridgesii bridgesii (Reeve, 1856)
• Pomacea bridgesii diffusa (Blume, 1957)

Anatomy

Juvenile

Mystery snails possess structurally complex eyes at the tip of a cephalic eyestalk. They are able to regenerate the eye completely after amputation through the mid-eyestalk. They are born with both gills and lungs. Mystery snails also possess a siphon which is a small tube used to breathe air. They frequently surface to breathe.^[3]

Distribution

The native distribution of this snail is Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Peru.^{[citation needed]}

Non-indigenous distribution

This species is non-indigenous in Hawaii since 1960 (Pomacea bridgesii diffusa), southeast Asia since the 1980s, and Florida since the early 1980s (Pomacea bridgesii diffusa).^[4]

Offspring

Most mystery snails lay their eggs above the water line. They are gonochoristic which means a male and female must be present for reproduction. The eggs take 2–4 weeks to hatch. The snails can produce as many as two hundred offspring from one egg-laying event. Sometimes not all the eggs are fertilized so they do not all hatch. When they do hatch, the hatchlings run the risk of being eaten if they share an aquarium with fish.^[5]

Environment

Mystery Snails are often found in lakes or rivers, where the oxygen levels are low, and are equipped with both an air tube and lung, as well as a gill, allowing them to easily breathe and take in the proper oxygen needed for survival. Pomacea bridgesii are mainly found in tropical environments and unable to sustain conditions under 50 °F.^[6]

See also

• Algae eater