NEWS105
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Asianapple snail,
Pila
sp.These species are still allowed in the trade.
have an extremely negative effect on the
native fauna and inextreme cases lead to
the extinction of entire species! Animal
protection lawmakes it illegal simply to
kill unwantedpets,but theycanalwaysbe
taken to zoos tobeusedas food for other
animals so that theirdeathsaren’t entirely
withoutmeaning.
In the case of the Ebro snails it is more
likely that theywere introduced as young
specimens with aquatic plants (eg young
riceplants).Hence thebanonapple snails
was accompanied by an order requiring
strict controls on marsh and aquatic
plants introduced into theEU.
Apple snails in the aquariumhobby
Apple snails of the genus
Pomacea
are
verypopular in theaquariumhobby.They
Snail (
Pomacea maculata
, often labeled
with the invalid name
P. gigas
in the
hobby) is the largest freshwater apple
snail in theworldandeasilyattains a shell
diameter of a good 15 cm!
Pomacea
species have the additional advantage
that they cannot proliferate uncontrolled,
as they lay their eggs inclustersoutof the
water,where theycaneasilybe removed if
you don’t want youngsters. In addition
these striking raspberry-colored egg
clusters are the surest sign of the
occurrenceof apple snails in thewild and
also permit a reliable estimate of their
population. However, the plant-eating
Pomacea
species such as
P. insularum
and
P. caniculata
are generally unpopular in
theaquariumandhenceusuallykeptonly
by a few specialists. The species that is
widespread in thehobbyandwhichexists
innumerouscultivated forms (gold,white,
blue, violet, pink, striped) is
Pomacea
diffusa
,and thisspeciesnever representsa
threat in Europe, as it is specialized on
Aufwuchs as food; these snails may also
nibble tender aquatic plants onoccasion,
but it is inconceivable that they could
causedamage to rice crops,at least not in
Europe, as
P. diffusa
doesn’t tolerate
temperaturesbelow15°Canddies.
Unfortunate consequences
Naturally
Pomacea
species represent a
serious threat only in those EU countries
where rice is cultivated, that is Spain, Italy,
Bulgaria, France, Greece, Hungary,
Portugal,andRomania.Noapple snail can
survive the winter in central or northern
European countries such as Germany.
Attempts were therefore made to have
the apple-snail ban restricted to those
countries where the release of Pomacea
mightactually representa threat.But such
half-measures are not allowed in the EU.
All or nothing is the rule,and so fromnow
on all EU countries are affected by the
apple-snail ban.
Will the police come knocking on my
door to confiscate apple snails?
Golden cultivated formof theapple snail
Pomaceadiffusa
are large and imposing, and the various
cultivated forms are also very colorful.
Apple snails are also very useful for
breeder aquarists, as they are excellent
scavengers for rearing aquaria where
heavy feeding is required.TheGiantApple
