Chinese mystery snail
Encyclopedia
The Chinese mystery snail, Japanese mystery snail, black snail, or trapdoor snail, scientific name Bellamya chinensis, 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.
from the tropics of Indochina
to northern China
, this species has established itself in North America
.
.
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
."
It is regulated in Minnesota
where it is illegal to release it into the wild.
).
As an intermediate host for:
Freshwater snail
A freshwater snail is one kind of freshwater mollusc, the other kind being freshwater clams and mussels, i.e. freshwater bivalves. Specifically a freshwater snail is a gastropod that lives in a watery non-marine habitat. The majority of freshwater gastropods have a shell, with very few exceptions....
with gills and an operculum
Operculum (gastropod)
The operculum, meaning little lid, is a corneous or calcareous anatomical structure which exists in many groups of sea snails and freshwater snails, and also in a few groups of land snails...
, an aquatic
Aquatic animal
An aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life. It may breathe air or extract its oxygen from that dissolved in water through specialised organs called gills, or directly through its skin. Natural environments and the animals that...
gastropod mollusk in the family Viviparidae
Viviparidae
Viviparidae, sometimes known as the river snails or mystery snails, are a family of large operculate freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks....
. 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
Operculum (gastropod)
The operculum, meaning little lid, is a corneous or calcareous anatomical structure which exists in many groups of sea snails and freshwater snails, and also in a few groups of land snails...
that the snail can use to seal the aperture
Aperture (mollusc)
The aperture is an opening in certain kinds of mollusc shells: it is the main opening of the shell, where part of the body of the animal emerges for locomotion, feeding, etc....
of the shell, thus providing some resistance to drought and predation.
Distribution
Though native to East AsiaEast Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
from the tropics of Indochina
Indochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
to northern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, this species has established itself in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
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 speciesInvasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
.
Bellamya chinensis is an introduced species in the United States. It is found in "any or all of the tributaries on Grand Island
Grand Island, New York
Grand Island is a town and an island in Erie County, New York, USA. As of the 2010 census, the town population is 20,374. This represents an increase of 9.41% from the 2000 census figure . The current town name derives from the French name La Grande Île, as Grand Island is the largest island in...
and on both sides of the Niagara River
Niagara River
The Niagara River flows north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. It forms part of the border between the Province of Ontario in Canada and New York State in the United States. There are differing theories as to the origin of the name of the river...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
."
It is regulated in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
where it is illegal to release it into the wild.
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.Life cycle
Reproduction is initiated sexually. Bellamya chinensis, in common with several other related species of snails, gives birth to live young (viviparyVivipary
Vivipary has two different meanings. In animals, it means development of the embryo inside the body of the mother, eventually leading to live birth, as opposed to laying eggs...
).
Parasites
Bellamya chinensis serves in its native habitat as a host and a vector to numerous parasites including:As an intermediate host for:
- Echinocasmus elongatus
- Echinocasmus redioduplicatus
- Echinocasmus rugosus
- Eupariphium ilocanum
- Eupariphium recurvatum
- Echinostoma macrorachis
- Echinostoma cinetorchisEchinostoma cinetorchisEchinostoma cinetorchis is a species of human intestinal fluke, a trematode in the family Echinostomatidae.- Hosts :Hosts of Echinostoma cinetorchis include:* Cipangopaludina chinensis - Chinese mystery snail, an intermediate host...
- this parasite may infect humans.
Further reading
- Smith D. G. (2000). "Notes on the taxonomy of introduced Bellamya (Gastropoda: Viviparidae) species in northeastern North America". The NautilusThe Nautilus (journal)The Nautilus is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering research in malacology. Hence its scope includes all aspects of the biology, ecology, and systematics of mollusks....
114: 31–37. - Kipp R. M. & Amy Benson A. (2008). "Cipangopaludina chinensis malleata". USGSUnited States Geological SurveyThe United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL. -
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 SakuinZasshi Kiji SakuinZasshi Kiji Sakuin , often called Zassaku in short, is a searchable database of scholarly articles in Japanese. The database, produced by the National Diet Library in 1948, catalogs selected articles from NDL's extensive collection of periodicals...
.