Chinese mystery snail

Chinese mystery snail
Chinese mystery snail
Bellamya chinensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
(unranked): clade Caenogastropoda

informal group Architaenioglossa
Superfamily: Viviparoidea
Family: Viviparidae
Subfamily: Bellamyinae
Genus: Bellamya
Species: B. chinensis
Binomial name
Bellamya chinensis
(Reeve, 1863)
Synonyms
  • Viviparus chinensis malleatus (Reeve, 1863)
  • Viviparus japonicus
  • Viviparus stelmaphora
  • Paludina malleata
  • Paludina japonicus
  • Cipangopaludina chinensis (J. E. Gray, 1834)
  • Cipangopaludina malleata[1]

The Chinese mystery snail, Japanese mystery snail, black snail, or trapdoor snail, scientific name Bellamya chinensis,[2] synonym Cipangopaludina chinensis, is a large (up to 65 mm) freshwater snail with gills and an operculum, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Viviparidae. The Japanese variety of this species is black and usually a dark green, moss-like algae covers the shell.

The name, "trapdoor snail" refers to a hinged fingernail-like plate or operculum that the snail can use to seal the aperture of the shell, thus providing some resistance to drought and predation.

Contents

Distribution

Though native to East Asia from the tropics of Indochina to northern China, this species has established itself in North America.

Shell of Bellamya chinensis

Nonindigenous distribution

Its popularity as an aquarium animal has led to the accidental introduction (via aquarium dumping) of this snail in many areas where it has become a problematic invasive species.

Bellamya chinensis is an introduced species in the United States. It is found in "any or all of the tributaries on Grand Island and on both sides of the Niagara River in the United States and Canada."[3]

It is regulated in Minnesota where it is illegal to release it into the wild.[4]

Ecology

Feeding habits

This species is primarily an algae eater. These snails are popular in aquariums because they do not eat fish eggs or plants, they do not overpopulate aquariums, and they close up if there is a water problem, giving people an indication that something is wrong a few weeks before the fish die.[5]

Life cycle

Reproduction is initiated sexually. Bellamya chinensis, in common with several other related species of snails, gives birth to live young (vivipary).

Parasites

Bellamya chinensis serves in its native habitat as a host and a vector to numerous parasites including[6]:

As an intermediate host for:

  • Echinocasmus elongatus
  • Echinocasmus redioduplicatus
  • Echinocasmus rugosus
  • Eupariphium ilocanum
  • Eupariphium recurvatum
  • Echinostoma macrorachis
  • Echinostoma cinetorchis - this parasite may infect humans.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Aquatic Invasive Species: Chinese Mystery Snail". Indiana/US Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife. http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/fish/ais/snail.htm. Retrieved 2007-07-17. 
  2. ^ Solomon C. T., Olden J. D., Johnson P. T. J., Dillon R. T. & Vander Zanden M. J. (2010). "Distribution and community-level effects of the Chinese mystery snail (Bellamya chinensis) in northern Wisconsin lakes". Biological Invasions 12: 1591-1605. PDF.
  3. ^ Eckel, P. M.. "The Oriental Mystery Mollusc (Cipangopaludina chinensis) at Buckhorn Island State Park, Erie County, New York". Missouri Botanical Garden. http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/ResBot/niag/Misc/Mollusc/Mollusc.htm. Retrieved 2007-07-17. 
  4. ^ "Minnesota invasive species laws". Archived from the original on 2007-07-01. http://web.archive.org/web/20070701202408/http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ecological_services/invasives/laws.html#regulated. Retrieved 2007-07-17. 
  5. ^ "Pond Snails". thePondGuy. http://www.thepondguy.com/product/335/152. Retrieved 2007-07-17. 
  6. ^ Pace, G. L. (1973). The freshwater snails of Taiwan (Formosa). Malacological Review Supplement 1. pp. Pages 1–117. http://www.mobot.org/plantscience/ResBot/niag/Misc/Mollusc/Mollusc.htm 
  7. ^ Chung P. R. & Jung Y. (1999) "Cipangopaludina chinensis malleata (Gastropoda: Viviparidae): a new second molluscan intermediate host of a human intestinal fluke Echinostoma cinetorchis (Trematoda: Echinostomatidae) in Korea". Journal of Parasitology 85(5): 963-964. PubMed

Further reading

  • Smith D. G. (2000). "Notes on the taxonomy of introduced Bellamya (Gastropoda: Viviparidae) species in northeastern North America". The Nautilus 114: 31–37.
  • Kipp R. M. & Amy Benson A. (2008). "Cipangopaludina chinensis malleata". USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL. <http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.asp?speciesID=1045> Revision Date: 3/1/2007.
  • PD-icon.svg (Japanese) Shiba N. (1935). 朝鮮に於けるマルタニシの分布に就いて "The distribution of Viviparus (Cipangopaludina) chinensis malleatus (REEVE) in Chosen". ヴヰナス The Venus 5(1): 17-22. record in Zasshi Kiji Sakuin.

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