General Information

Golden apple snail
Scientific names: Pomacea canaliculata
Mesogastropoda:Ampullariidae
Synonym: Apple snail, Argentine apple snail, golden kuhol, golden miracle snail, Miami golden snail

Hosts

Rice is their main crop but they also feed on water growing plants, maize, parsley, pearl barley, ramie, taro, lowland weeds, and other succulent leafy plants

Distribution

Africa, Australia, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South and North America, Thailand

Damage

Only young plants are susceptible to a golden apple snail attack. It feeds, cuts, and kills the seedling. Its feeding damage causes missing hills resulting in decreased and an uneven plant stand.

Description

The eggs are laid in an egg mass on any erect object in the rice field, comprising a mass of 50 - 500 eggs. They are bright-pink to pinkish-red in color and become light-pink when they are about to hatch. Hatching occurs after 10 -15 days.

The newly hatched snails have a soft shell which is about 1.5 -1.6 cm in size. At this stage, they feed only on soft aquatic plants. As they grow, they start feeding on young seedlings.

The adult golden apple snail has a muddy-brown shell. Its flesh is succulent and creamy-white to golden-pinkish or orange-yellow in color. The distinguishing characteristic of the male from the female is their operculum (opening of the shell). The male has a convex operculum that curves out from the shell while that of the female curves into the shell. The adults are voracious feeder and they cause the most damage to the growing rice plants. During dry season, they hibernate deep into the soil for as long as 6 months. They are active again when water is available.

A lifecycle is completed in about 2 months.