Tell me about snails

[NewSal]

So I've heard warnings of New Zealand Mud Snails being in spring creek as an invasive species, what kind of damage do these snails do?

I've never heard anyone talk about the snails in the little J, but the other day I was flipping rocks below barree and found a ton of snails, I dont know what species they are, or if they are invasive or not. Can anyone tell me any info on snail species in our PA streams?

 

[salmonoid]

The New Zealand mud snails pretty much just keep multiplying until they cover the stream bottom. At some places on Spring, you'll see rocks that appear to be covered with black sand, but the sand is actually snail shells. Overall, they are tiny, compared to native snails. I don't know that it's fully understood what NZMS do to an ecosystem. They certainly displace something and consume something and create something.

See https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=1008 for more info. Bummer that you can see Spring Creek drainage on the presence map.

Don't know much about native aquatic snails, but here is a blurb:
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/wrcp/wildnotes/winter06/Snails_w.html

If the snails you saw were easily visible to the native eye, they probably were not NZMS.

 

[NewSal]

salmonoid wrote:
The New Zealand mud snails pretty much just keep multiplying until they cover the stream bottom. At some places on Spring, you'll see rocks that appear to be covered with black sand, but the sand is actually snail shells. Overall, they are tiny, compared to native snails. I don't know that it's fully understood what NZMS do to an ecosystem. They certainly displace something and consume something and create something.

See https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=1008 for more info. Bummer that you can see Spring Creek drainage on the presence map.

Don't know much about native aquatic snails, but here is a blurb:
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/wrcp/wildnotes/winter06/Snails_w.html

If the snails you saw were easily visible to the native eye, they probably were not NZMS.

Thanks alot Salmonoid, the snails I seen on the j were fairly large, about a nickel size. They completely covered the underside of some rocks. Good to know they are probably a native snail.

 

[acesedgley]

steam em up!!

 

[lycoflyfisher]

NZMS could in theory out compete many of the other macroinvertebrates that are found in Spring Creek such as the mayflies and caddisflies. Unfortunately, once they are established it is very difficult to remove them from a watershed. Only time will tell the ultimate impact that they have on that system.

 

[NewSal]

lycoflyfisher wrote:
NZMS could in theory out compete many of the other macroinvertebrates that are found in Spring Creek such as the mayflies and caddisflies. Unfortunately, once they are established it is very difficult to remove them from a watershed. Only time will tell the ultimate impact that they have on that system.

There is nothing that can be done whatsoever?

 

[NewSal]

Thats a scary thought.

 

[NewSal]

And, after further investigation, the snails I seen on the little J may very well be the NZ species. Can anyone else confirm NZMS in the little j??

 

[evw659]

Are there any specific water types (slow, fast, deep, shallow, etc.) that they tend to inhabit? I've seen them on spring on rocks right next to the bank in slow water but haven't really looked in other habitats. I've never seen them on the lj anywhere, but I'm sure if they are not already there, they will be.