Every month, we will put a spotlight on an aquatic invasive species (AIS) in a re-occurring monthly article. Check it out! This month, we highlight two similar AIS!

Chinese and Banded Mystery Snails

Chinese (Cipangopaludina chinensis) and Banded (Viviparus georgianus) mystery snails are very similar in terms of their life histories and impacts as invasive species. For these reasons, they are often discussed together.

Chinese Mystery Snail found on AIS Snapshot Day 2018

Chinese mystery snails are native to eastern Asia and are widely utilized as a food source in Asia. In 1892, Chinese mystery snails were brought to California as a food source and spread to the Eastern U.S. by 1915 after a wild population was found in Massachusetts. Chinese mystery snails were first found in the Winnebago Waterways in 2010 in Lake Poygan. Populations were later found in Lake Winnebago as part of AIS Snapshot Day.

Chinese mystery snails are larger than native Wisconsin snails with a shell as large as 2 inches. The shell is light to dark brown with a right handed opening. Chinese mystery snails also have an operculum. An operculum is made up of layers of calcium carbonate that acts as a trapdoor. It creates a seal that traps water inside the shell and provides protection to the snail.

Banded mystery snail are native to the southeastern United States. However, the bands on the shell have made the snail popular in the aquarium trade and have been spread to new areas through illegal releases of aquariums in waterbodies. Banded mystery snails were discovered in 2014 in Lake Winnebago.

Banded mystery snails are smaller than the Chinese mystery snail. Shells of the banded mystery snail can be as big as 1.75 inches long and have a right handed opening. The most distinctive feature of the banded mystery snails (and where they get their name) are the red bands that run horizontally on the greenish-yellow colored shell.

The “mystery” of these snails comes from their life histories. The females of both species of snails give birth to live, fully developed snails that “mysteriously” and abruptly appear. Both snail species live about four years and graze on food and algae that grows on the bottom of lakes and rivers.

In addition to competing with native snails for food and habitat, the mystery snails can also spread diseases and parasites to other wildlife. In Asia, Chinese mystery snails have been known to transmit intestinal flukes to humans but this has not been documented in the United States. Banded mystery snails have been documented to cause decreased survival of largemouth bass after invading bass nests.

In Wisconsin, banded mystery snails and Chinese mystery snails are both classified as Restricted.

Want to help? HELP PREVENT THE SPREAD!

Every time you come off the water, make sure to follow these steps to stop the spread of faucet snails and other aquatic invasive species:

* Inspect boats, trailers, push poles, anchors, and other equipment for attached aquatic plants or animals.

* Remove all attached plants or animals

* Drain all water from boats, motors, livewells and other equipment

* Never move live fish away from a waterbody

* Never release aquarium plants or animals into your local waterways

Follow the Fox Wolf Watershed Alliance’s Winnebago Waterways Program on our Winnebago Waterways Facebook page or @WinnWaterways on Twitter! You can also sign-up for email updates at WinnebagoWaterways.org.

Questions? Comments? Contact Chris Acy, the AIS Coordinator for the Winnebago Waterways Program covering Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Winnebago Counties at (920) 460-3674 or chris@fwwa.org!

Winnebago Waterways is a Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance program. The Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance is an independent nonprofit organization that identifies and advocates effective policies and actions that protect, restore, and sustain water resources in the Fox-Wolf River Basin.

Photo Credit: Paul Skawinski and Kelly Reyer