Chinese Mystery Snail
Cipangopaludine chinensis
This species of snail is native to southeast Asia and was originally introduced to North America via food markets and aquarium enthusiast. Due to boating activity and aquarium releases the snail has continued to move across North America. The Chinese Mystery snail has been shown to effectively change environments where it has invaded by changing the microbial community, especially in cases where there are large populations of Chinese Mystery snails (Olden et al., 2013). When these snails are introduced to ecosystems where other invasive species are present (e.g. rusty cray fish) the result to the native snail community (snails other native to North America, i.e. not Chinese Mystery snails) can be dramatic (Johnson et al., 2009).
Photograph taken by Dr. Linda Campbell
Relevant Literature
McAlpine, D.F., Lepitzki, D.A.W., Schueler, F.W., McAlpine, F.J.T., Hebda, A., Forsyth, R.G., Nicolai, A., Maunder, J.E., and Noseworthy, R.G. (2016). Occurrence of the Chinese mystery snail, Cipangopaludina chinensis (Gray, 1834) (Mollusca: Viviparidae) in the Saint John River system, New Brunswick, with review of status in Atlantic Canada. BioInvasions Records 5(3).p. 149-154.
"Aquatic Invasive Species." Chinese Mystery Snail. Kemongsa, 23 Mar. 1993. Web. 1 June 2011. Retrieved from www.in.gov/dnr/files/CHINESE_MYSTERY_SNAIL.pdf
Haak, D. (2015). Bioenergetics and habitat suitability models for the Chinese mystery snail (Bellamya chinensis). University of Nebraska-Lincoln Dissertations & These in Natural Resources.https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1108&context=natresdiss.
Olden, J.D., Ray, L., Mims, M.C., and Horner-Devine, M.C. (2013). Filtration rates of the non native Chinese mystery snail (Bellamya chinensis) and potential impacts on microbial communities. Limnetica 32(1).p. 107-120.
Havel, J.E. (2011). Survival of the exotic Chinese mystery snail (Cipangopaludina chinensis malleata) during air exposure and implications for overland dispersal by boats. Hydrobiologia 668.p. 195-202.
Solomon, C.T., Olden, J.D., Johnson, P.T.J., Dillon Jr., R.T., Vander Zanden, M.J. (2009). Distribution and community-level effects of the Chinese mystery snail (Bellamya chinensis) in northern Wisconsin lakes. Biological Invasions 12.p. 1591-1605.
Johnson, P.T.J., Olden, J.D., Solomon, C.T., and Vander Zanden, M.J. (2009). Interactions among invaders: community and ecosystem effects of multiple invasive species in an experimental aquatic system. Oecologia International Association for Ecology 159.p.161-170.