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A Backyard Surprise In An Alachua County Neighborhood |
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On July 29th, 2007,
longtime shell collector Marlo Krisberg of Merritt Island, Florida paid
a visit to his youngest daughter, who had recently purchased a home in a
residential area of High Springs just northwest of Gainesville. The
property included an overgrown fish pond on the rear of the lot
which was duly investigated by Marlo during the visit - his curiosity
perhaps piqued by the previous property owners statement that "everything
on the lot and in the pond was native.” In the pond three
small native freshwater mollusk species were in fact found to include
Viviparus georgianus
(I. Lea, 1834) Banded Mysterysnail. But, lurking under the overgrowth
was a large alien invader - a channeled apple snail - probably
Pomacea maculata Perry, 1810. Pomacea maculata, one of three species of exotic channeled apple snails established in Florida, is by the far the most common and has been found in the wild at numerous locations throughout the state from Tallahassee to Jacksonville to the Everglades. However, it has not yet been officially recorded from any locations in or around Alachua County. While the source of the specimen found by Marlo may never be known, its presence could indicate a population exists in central Florida that thus far has not been officially recorded. |
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Overgrown fish pond |
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Probable Pomacea maculata Perry, 1810 (estimated size is about 100 mm.) |
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