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Project Noah Nature School
Pseudosuccinea columella
A pond snail with a very dark brown shell with about 4 whorls, the last whorl being the longest with an oval aperture which is more than half the length of the shell. These snails were about 12 mm long. The shell had thin ribbing and when viewed from above had a clockwise spiral. The fleshy triangular tentacles are just visible in pic 2.
Spotted along the edges of a man-made pond, in a reserve. It is said to prefer shallow water and thrives where water lillies have been introduced.
These snails do not have slender tentacles like most common snails or hard operculums to plug the apertures.
They are the intermediate host for liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica) which is a parasite in sheep and cattle.
This snail has been introduced to many countries via aquatic plants for aquariums. They are said to be thriving, often competing with established species in many environments.
More information :
http://www.nt.gov.au/d/Fisheries/?Header...
http://agspsrv34.agric.wa.gov.au/ento/pe...
Family: Lymnaeidae
Spotted on Jan 15, 2015
Submitted on Jan 17, 2015
1 Comment
Very interesting spotting.