Invasion
Invasion Description
1st record: Coral Gables/FL/Lake Osceola (1966, Clench 1970; Dundee 1974)
Geographic Extent
Coral Gables/FL/Lake Osceola (1966, Clench 1970; Dundee 1974); mangrove areas in the Matheson Hammock-Snapper Creek area of Coral Gables, FL/adjacent to Biscayne Bay (1975, Roesseler et al. 1977); Biscayne Bay National Park at Black Point/FL/Biscayne Bay (2004, USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program 2007; Wingard et al. 2007)
Vectors
| Level | Vector |
|---|---|
| Probable | Pet Release |
Regional Impacts
| Ecological Impact | Competition | |
| Melanoides tuberculata is suspected to have competitive impacts on native snails on the shoreline of Biscayne Bay, because it is present in abundances which greatly exceed those of native snails (Wingard et al. 2007). The likeliest competitor is Neritina virginea (Virgin Nerite), which also grazes microalgae. However, impacts are likely to be localized, as M. tuberculata is strongly concentrated near the mouths of canals (Roessler et al. 1977; Wingard et al. 2007). | ||