Asian trampsnail
Encyclopedia
Bradybaena similaris, common name
the Asian trampsnail, , is a species
of small, air-breathing land snail
, a terrestrial
pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Bradybaenidae
.
Bradybaena similaris is the type species of the genus Bradybaena.
, but it has been accidentally introduced to many areas around the world.
The distribution includes:
The introduced distribution include states on the Gulf of Mexico, and it is widespread in Florida, USA.
is about 12 to 16 mm with 5½ whorls
. The color of the shell is light brown, often with a single, apical chestnut band. The shell is sculptured
with fine, irregular growth lines and fine spiral striae. The lip of the adult shell is reflected and the columella is partially covering the umbilicus.
, the Asian trampsnail is often found in areas with tall grasses and high humidity. Typically this species is found in gardens, greenhouses, and similar habitats, sometimes retreating under logs or fallen branches.
This species is often common with abundant old shells on the ground and among leaf litter, as well as on vegetation and on trees. It is active after rainfall.
Dundee and Cancienne reported that this snail can survive winters in Louisiana
where the temperature can fall as low as 5-10°C.
It feeds on a wide variety of plants including citrus
and is considered as pest in agriculture. This snail is often exported by accident from Florida to other areas and thus poses a quarantine
problem for Florida.
This species of snail creates and uses love darts during mating.
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
the Asian trampsnail, , is a species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of small, air-breathing land snail
Land snail
A land snail is any of the many species of snail that live on land, as opposed to those that live in salt water and fresh water. Land snails are terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have shells, It is not always an easy matter to say which species are terrestrial, because some are more or less...
, a terrestrial
Terrestrial animal
Terrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land , as compared with aquatic animals, which live predominantly or entirely in the water , or amphibians, which rely on a combination of aquatic and terrestrial habitats...
pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Bradybaenidae
Bradybaenidae
Bradybaenidae is a taxonomic family of medium-sized to small land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the superfamily Helicoidea....
.
Bradybaena similaris is the type species of the genus Bradybaena.
Distribution
This species is native to Southeast AsiaSoutheast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, but it has been accidentally introduced to many areas around the world.
The distribution includes:
- Pratas IslandsPratas IslandsThe Pratas Islands or Dongsha Islands consists of three islands forming from an atoll located in northeastern South China Sea, southeast of Hong Kong. The islands are governed by the Republic of China . The People's Republic of China claims sovereignty over these islands along with all other...
, Taiwan
The introduced distribution include states on the Gulf of Mexico, and it is widespread in Florida, USA.
Description
The width of the shellGastropod shell
The gastropod shell is a shell which is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, one kind of mollusc. The gastropod shell is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage...
is about 12 to 16 mm with 5½ whorls
Whorl (mollusc)
A whorl is a single, complete 360° revolution or turn in the spiral growth of a mollusc shell. A spiral configuration of the shell is found in of numerous gastropods, but it is also found in shelled cephalopods including Nautilus, Spirula and the large extinct subclass of cephalopods known as the...
. The color of the shell is light brown, often with a single, apical chestnut band. The shell is sculptured
Sculpture (mollusc)
The sculpture of a mollusc shell is the three-dimensional ornamentation on the outer surface, as distinct from the basic shape of the shell itself or colouration. Sculpture may be concave as well as convex. Sometimes it has microscopic detail. Sculpture refers to the calcareous outer layer, not the...
with fine, irregular growth lines and fine spiral striae. The lip of the adult shell is reflected and the columella is partially covering the umbilicus.
Ecology
As an introduced speciesIntroduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
, the Asian trampsnail is often found in areas with tall grasses and high humidity. Typically this species is found in gardens, greenhouses, and similar habitats, sometimes retreating under logs or fallen branches.
This species is often common with abundant old shells on the ground and among leaf litter, as well as on vegetation and on trees. It is active after rainfall.
Dundee and Cancienne reported that this snail can survive winters in Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
where the temperature can fall as low as 5-10°C.
It feeds on a wide variety of plants including citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
and is considered as pest in agriculture. This snail is often exported by accident from Florida to other areas and thus poses a quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
problem for Florida.
This species of snail creates and uses love darts during mating.
Further reading
- Almeida M. N. & Bessa E. C. A. (2001). "Estudo do crescimento e da reprodução de Bradybaena similaris (Mollusca, Xanthonychidae) em laboratório. [Growth and reproduction of Bradybaena similaris (Férussac) (Mollusca, Xanthonychidae) in laboratory conditions]". Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 18(4): 1115-1122. doi:10.1590/S0101-81752001000400010. PDF.
External links
- Bradybaena similaris on the UF / IFASInstitute of Food and Agricultural SciencesThe University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences, and enhancing and sustaining the quality of human life by making that information...
Featured Creatures Web site