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Un-named Lake In The Regency Square Mall Area Of Jacksonville, Florida |
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As part of an on-going project to formally document the presence of
Pomacea paludosa (Say,
1829) [Florida Applesnail]
in northeast Florida, a visit was made to a medium sized lake in the
very heavily developed area of the Regency Square Mall in the Arlington
area of Duval County on 7/25/2005. Although now bordered by such modern
amenities as a shopping mall, the Mike Davidson Ford Dealership, a
"Hooters," and The Park at Regency Apartments, the lake in question
(in some form) may
date back to at least the 1950's when the area was predominantly a
swamp.Upon arrival at the lake the probability of finding Pomacea appeared rather remote. However, egg clutches were soon discovered on low vegetation near the well manicured shoreline; followed shortly thereafter by a live specimen. Continued exploration revealed many more egg clutches as well as a number of additional Pomacea busily feeding on lakeside vegetation. Based upon this visit, as well as two follow-up visits, the lake appears to have a large and thriving Pomacea paludosa population. The specimens found during the three visits were small as compared to those found thus far in other lakes in Duval County. |
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Looking North From The Lake Shoreline |
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Looking East From The Lake Shoreline |
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[Click on the images below for a higher resolution version.] |
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Egg Clutch Found On The Lake Shoreline |
Pomacea Found Along The Shoreline |
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