What is pomacea canaliculata?
Fushou snail (scientific name: Pomacea canaliculata) is a mollusk in the family of snails and snails. The shells are similar in appearance to snails. With a spiral shell, the color varies with the environment and the age of the snail. The head has 2 pairs of antennae, the front antennae are short, the back antennae are long, and there is an eye on the outside of the base of the back antennae. There is a thick pulmonary straw on the left side of the spirochete. The adult shell is thick, the shell height is 7 cm, and the young shell is thin.
Fushou snails like to live in fresh water with fresh water and sufficient food, and many groups inhabit shallow water areas by the pool. It has a wide diet and is an omnivorous snail mainly based on plant bait. It mainly eats duckweed, vegetables, melons and fruits, etc. It especially likes to eat sweet food, and also likes to eat animal carrion in water. Native to tropical and subtropical regions of Central America, such as Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Widely distributed in more than ten countries in North America, Asia, Africa, etc., it has become a worldwide invasive alien species.
What does Pomacea canaliculata look like?
Fushou snail shells are similar in appearance to field snails. With a spiral shell, the color varies with the environment and the age of the snail. The head has 2 pairs of antennae, the front antennae are short, the back antennae are long, and there is an eye on the outside of the base of the back antennae. There is a thick pulmonary straw on the left side of the spirochete. The adult shell is thick, the shell height is 7 cm, and the young shell is thin.
Oval, 2 mm in diameter, the first eggs are pink or bright red, the surface of the eggs is covered with a layer of inconspicuous white powder, in May-June, after 5 days, it turns grayish white or brown, when the eggs are already inside hatch into juvenile snails. The egg mass is oval in shape, different in size, the eggs are arranged neatly, the egg layer is not easy to fall off, bright red, only a few dozen small egg masses, and more than a thousand large egg masses. At night, eggs are laid on the surface of dry objects or plants above the water surface, such as stems, ditch walls, walls, ridges, weeds, etc. The newly hatched young snails fall into the water and devour plankton, etc. Young snails are sexually mature after 3-4 months of development. Except for spawning or migrating when encountering adverse environmental conditions, they live in fresh water all their lives. In case of drought, they close the shell cover and stay still, up to 3-4 snails. months or longer.
Living habits of Pomacea canaliculata
Fushou snails have a wide range of diets. They are omnivorous snails that are mainly plant-based food. They mainly eat duckweed, vegetables, melons and fruits, etc. They especially like to eat sweet food, and also like to eat animal carrion in water. When there is no more food, it will eat tiny substances floating on the water surface (the body will turn upside down and use the foot exercise to dip the food).
Although the snail is an aquatic mollusk species, it can spend 6-8 months buried in moist mud during the dry season. Once flooded or irrigated, they can become active again. The respirators of adult snails can reach 5-10 cm long or longer.
Pomacea canaliculata rearing
April-June and August-October are the peak periods of spawning and hatching of Fushou snails, as well as the prosperous period when adult snails and young adult snails are harmed. Crops are the main targets of snails, and the damage to rice is particularly serious. Snails will cause damage in almost the entire growth period of rice. The seedling to the tillering stage is the main damage period. Young snails and adult snails will eat rice leaves and tillers. Rice yields decreased due to reduced tillering and reduced effective ears.
