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Pomacea maculata Perry, 1810 In Far West Volusia County, Florida |
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| Acting on information provided by Mr. Randall Sleister, Land Manager of Volusia County, Florida, on October 9, 2005 fellow snail aficionado Joel Wooster of Daytona Beach investigated a reported population of exotic Pomacea in far western Volusia County. Upon arrival, the site in question was revealed to be an approximately one mile long somewhat narrow drainage ditch immediately adjacent to 1711 Pell Road, in very rural Osteen, Florida (approximate coordinates 28.543092N 081.040825W). Both live and dead specimens were readily apparent as well as numerous egg clutches. Owners of property adjacent to the ditch reported that the snails "have been there for years" and the snail population was common knowledge among local residents - although they were unaware of their exotic nature. Furthermore, local catfish fisherman routinely collected the snails to use for "fish bait" in other waterways within the area (See Report For Nearby Lake Ashby). The find has been reported to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection for their records. Some images of the area in question are presented below. | |
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| Ditch looking south (upstream as the ditch flows north) | Ditch looking north (downstream) |
| Drainage ditch view during dry weather (1/27/2006) | Drainage ditch view during dry weather (12/27/2006) |
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From the north end of the ditch looking south |
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| Webmeister Bill Frank (Jacksonville) peruses the numerous freshwater specimens in the ditch | Joel Wooster (Daytona Beach) checks one of the culverts for Pomacea egg clutches |
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