Baymeadows Way Lake/Drainage Ditch, Southeastern Duval County Florida

      As part of an on-going project to formally document the presence of Pomacea paludosa (Say, 1829) [Florida Applesnail] in northeast Florida, on June 6, 2006 a visit was made to a large lake in a busy commercial area (Perimeter Center) off Baymeadows Way, north of Baymeadows Road. Immediately upon arrival dead Pomacea paludosa shells as well as freshly deposited egg clutches were evident and a cursory search soon turned up a number of live specimens as well as attractive live Viviparus georgianus (I. Lea, 1834) [Banded Mysterysnail]. The lake was inspected at several locations around the lengthy shoreline and Pomacea and their eggs were found at each location - although not in large numbers as is common at some other impoundments. While the numbers were not impressive the size of the specimens found was.

     While returning to Baymeadows Road it was decided to investigate a drainage ditch which ran from west to east under the road. The upper reaches of this particular ditch, which originates adjacent to Philips Highway some distance away, had previously been investigated during July, 2005 and found to contain Pomacea (see: Bayberry Road). Although this downstream portion of the ditch too looked like it had extremely poor water quality, both live Pomacea and freshly deposited egg clutches were found near the culvert on Baymeadows Way. It therefore appears likely that the upstream portion of the ditch that hasn't been sampled as well as that portion east of Baymeadows Way also contain modest breeding Pomacea populations.

Southern end of the lake looking north

Pomacea specimens found in the lake

Drainage ditch at Baymeadows Way

Mating Pomacea pair found in the ditch