Pomacea maculata G. Perry, 1810 In Brandy Branch Along Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail

    During a field survey on 7/5/2015 a minimal breeding population of Pomacea maculata was discovered in Brandy Branch along the Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail which intersects Brandy Branch about 0.8 miles northeast of the Jacksonville Electric Authorities Brandy Branch generating station. Several fresh egg clutches and one empty Pomacea shell were seen. The access road to the generating facility is located on the north side of US-90 (West Beaver Street) about 1.5 miles east of downtown Baldwin. The trail is a repurposed abandoned CSX Transportation line which runs a distance of 14.5 miles from western Jacksonville to Baldwin - both in Duval County.

    It seems likely that the snails found in Brandy Branch along the rail-trail are the result of a gradual colonization of the waterway by snails which originated further upstream in the waterway adjacent to US-90 near Pope Duval Park - a population initially discovered during 2007. The distance between the two locations is approximately 1.81 miles as the stream flows.

Pomacea maculata egg clutches and empty shell found in Brandy Branch