| Country or region name |
Philippines |
| Organism group |
other animals |
| Order name |
Mesogastropoda |
| Family name |
Ampullariidae |
| Species name |
Pomacea canaliculata |
| English common name |
golden apple snail, apple snail |
| Substantially same species (synonym) |
|
| Year of invasion or detection |
1982 |
| Native region |
South America (Brazil and Argentina) |
| Situation of establishment |
Category 2: Settled after 1951 |
| Taxonomic description |
| |
| Expansion of distribution area |
| Golden apple snail is widely distributed all over the Philippine
islands attaining a pest status of national importance. |
| Environmental impact |
| Environmental impacts: The environmental impacts are extinction
of native apple snails, toxicity to fingerlings and other aquatic organisms.
Contamination of water reservoirs by run off and flooding. Ecological impact:
After invasion of the golden apple snail in the Philippine rice fields,
most farmers began to apply any kind of pesticides. The total input of
pesticides increased dramatically. This pesticide misuse led farm animals
to loose their toenails. Most farmers observed disappearance of the native
apple snails (Pila spp.) after the introduction/invasion of golden apple
snail. |
| Economic damage |
| Economic damage: The invasion of golden apple snail has increased
rice production costs, and currently threatens the promotion of direct-seeded
rice in rice growing countries. Of the 3-million (M) hectares of rice lands
in the Philippines, 1.2-1.6M hectares are infested with golden apple snail.
In 1990, pesos 212M were spent to control this pest. The golden apple snail
is a national menace now. In addition, hazards to farmers’ health are caused
by shell injury. Farmers’ skin cuts by snail’s shell provide entry to disease
causing organisms and secondary infections. Damage: Newly transplanted
rice seedlings up to 15 days after transplanting is vulnerable to golden
apple snail damage. In direct-seeded rice, 4days to 30 days old rice plants
after sowing are devoured by golden apple snails. Golden apple snails eat
the base of the seedlings. They can even consume the young plants in a
whole paddy overnight. |
| Reproduction |
| Eggs are laid at night on any vegetation, leaves, and objects (e.g.
twigs, stakes, stones, etc) above the water surface. Eggs hatch in 7-14
days. Hatchlings grow and mature fast. Adults mate for 3-4 hours anytime
of the day among crowded plants where there is continuos water supply throughout
the year. They reproduce rapidly. They can lay 1000-1200 eggs in a month.
They can survive harsh environmental conditions such as pollutants in water
or low oxygen levels. During dry season they bury themselves in moist soil.
They can aestivate for 6 months. They become active again when the soil
is flooded. |
| Growth |
| Golden apple snail shell is light brown; flesh is creamy white to
golden pinkish or orange. Only shells from 10 mm above are destructive
to rice seedlings. Eggs are bright pinkish-red and turn light pink when
about to hatch. |
| Countermeasure |
| Management option scheme for golden apple snail control should based
on rice growth stages. The Integrated options should be community wide
in application to be effective. |
| Writer's name and affiliation |
| Written by Ravindra C. Joshi. Philrice. (written in 2003) |
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