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Subject: Re: [RML] Mystery/Apple Snails
Author: MIME:fukada at hawaii.edu at INTERNET-MAIL
Date: 12/4/97 10:03 AM
We have both mystery snails and Apple Snails (the golden and brown)
estabilshed in streams and lowland taro patches. They are agricultural
pests big time. Sure they can be eaten, but they also eat taro and other
crops grown in water. People have been using ducks to clear taro patches of
these snails. We also have the Gian Affrican Snails, they are huge. I have
seen one that are big enough to fill a person's hand (at least 9 inches
long). Too bad people can't eat these monsters ;-)
MTF
>At 23:46 3/12/97 +1000, Bruce wrote:
>
>>Snails are not much higher on the list - all I know is that the Mystery
>>Snail (Ampullaria cuprina, I think), is the 0nly one that is NOT a plant
>>eater
>
>The species in the aquarium trade in Australia and generally known as
>Mystery Snails is believed to be Pomacea bridgesi. They will survive for a
>short time out of water but will eventually dry up and die. I'm not quiet
>sure for how long but guess it would depend on the amount of moisture the
>snail was able to store in its body and prevailing temperatures.
>
>I remember some years ago I had a visitor to my fishroom and he was one of
>those Government scientific types. He almost had a fit as he thought that
>they were a variety of those Giant African snails that terrorise farmers in
>some countries overseas. The quarantine department also found some of the
>Giant African snails at one of the container depot here in Brisbane a couple
>of years back. They had arrived unexpectedly in a shipping container. AQIS
>went into panic mode and sprayed the whole complex after a physical search
>and destroy shortee ;-)
>
>Adrian.
>
> ...............................................................
> Adrian R. Tappin
> "Home of the Rainbowfish"
> http://www.ecn.net.au/~atappin/home.htm
> http://www.angfa.org/rainbowfish/home.htm
>
> ...............................................................
Mach T. Fukada, Web Master
fukada at hawaii.edu
Honolulu Aquarium Society
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/2948/HASF.html