Invasive species cause serious damage to ecosystems around the world, not to mention economic losses in agriculture and risks to human health. In reality, in most cases, it is not the wild species that invade new spaces in an untimely manner, but their inappropriate presence is due to actions or situations caused by humans (as is the case of the passive protagonist of this news , see in the historical complement).
Among the species that accidentally or intentionally occupy spaces and habitats that are not their own by nature is the apparently harmless group of snails.
Specimen of apple snail from Palau-sator, Caalunya.
In Spain, the best known example is the apple snail (Pomacea maculata), a freshwater gastropod native to America that has been expanding for two decades from the first outbreaks detected in the Ebro delta.
Comparison of a giant African snail.
In Florida (United States), at the end of the 1960s, due to human imprudence, a similar faunal invasion was declared, led by the giant African snail (Lissachatina fulicapreviously, Achatina fulica), a terrestrial species that reaches 20 centimeters in length and has been classified as one of the invaders with the greatest destructive potential for agriculture.
In two separate campaigns, in the years 1970 and 2010, federal and state authorities in Florida invested more than 20 million dollars in eradication programs for this mollusk.
The task of extermination may seem relatively easy, since African snails are easy to see (because of their size and low speed) and because the chemical products once morest all types of testaceans are -luckily or unfortunately- varied and effective. But the reality is very different…
New focus, new alarm
In mid-June, a professional gardener alerted Florida Agriculture officials to the presence of a large snail in New Port Richey, Pasco County. On June 23, it was confirmed that it was a giant African land snail and several more specimens were detected in the area, as well as some eggs.
Giant African snail sample, in the hands of a researcher from the Department of Agriculture.
After the confirmation of the new focus, the Plant Industry Division of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services launched a study of the area, enacted a quarantine and began chemical treatment once morest the pest, according to data released on Wednesday, March 6. July. The quarantine decreed in Pasco County prohibits the movement of vegetables, land, fertilizers, waste and, of course, all kinds of snails.
“These snails might be devastating to agriculture and natural areas in Florida, causing extensive damage in tropical and subtropical environments,” the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said.
Samples of giant African snails in Hawaii, where the species was introduced nearly a century ago.
historical complement
A childish thing that cost millions
In 1966, a young man from Miami smuggled three giant African snails into South Florida following returning from a trip to Hawaii, where the species was introduced nearly a century ago. According to investigations by the United States Department of Agriculture, this young man’s grandmother released several of the snails from the growing colony into her garden. Seven years later, the chiquillada had become a plague and more than 18,000 adult snails were discovered in the neighborhood, along with thousands of eggs. To eradicate that first focus, work was carried out for ten years and more than a million dollars of public funds were invested. In 2011, a new focus was detected -in this case of unknown origin-, which required another decade of follow-up work and more than 20 million expenses.
Hazard to human health
Native to East Africa, the giant African land snail has become established in various areas of the Indo-Pacific basin, including the Hawaiian Islands.
In addition to environmental and agricultural damage, this snail is a public health concern because it can harbor pathogens that spread to humans. Giant African snails are known to be vectors for multiple species of parasites and bacteria; including the rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis) and salmonella (Salmonella enterica).
It has also been shown that these large gastropods can consume more than 500 species of plants and represent a risk to food safety, especially given the important agricultural industry in Florida.
Like other snail species, the African giant has both male and female reproductive organs, so they can reproduce quickly. Each adult specimen can lay regarding 1,200 eggs a year. In addition, it can hibernate for a year if temperatures are very low, which increases the resistance of the species.
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