Resaca supports range expansion of invasive apple snails (Pomacea maculata Perry, 1810; Caenogastropoda: Ampullariidae) to the Rio Grande Valley, Texas

By

Perez, Kathryn E
Garcia Gamboa, Victoria
Schneider, Caitlin M.
Burks, Romi L

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2017-6-3

Original Publication

Check list : journal of species lists and distribution

Volume

13

Series / Issue

Issue: 3

Pages

2134--9

Subjects

gastropod , GIS , irrigation network , new record , non-native

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

[São Paulo, Brazil] Luís Felipe Toledo 2005-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15560/13.3.2134

 

Abstract

Resacas, or oxbow lakes, form from old river channels. In the Rio Grande, resacas provide habitat for diverse wildlife, including native and non-native species. Biologists unexpectedly found pink egg masses on emergent vegetation (November 2015) and later adult apple snails (May 2016) within a resaca at a former fish hatchery in Brownsville, Texas. This report extends the non-native range of Pomacea maculata Perry, 1810 by 429 km southeast in Texas. Our findings imply that abandoned waterbodies, such as fish hatcheries, can act as unrecognized conduits for non-native invasive species.