| April 2006. A snail was intercepted at Matautu wharf, Apia, Samoa, South Pacific underneath a crate from New Zealand. It is about 1-1.5 cm long.
The snail is a juvenile Brown garden snail, variously known as Helix aspersa M??ller, Cryptomphalus aspersus (M??ller) and Cornu aspersum (M??ller). Originally, it was a circum-Mediterranean species, but more recently it has been found on all continents, especially in gardens, parks, etc. It is widely distributed in New Zealand. See for the latter information pp. 62-68 in Barker GM (1999) Naturalised terrestrial Stylommatophora (Mollusca: Gastropoda). Fauna of New Zealand 38: 249 pp. Manaaki Whenua Press, Lincoln, NZ. This European snail is a serious pest in many parts of the world, attacking a wide variety of agricultural/horticultural plants.
In a past post from Nuie (824), this snail was also referred to as Cantareus aspersus (Editor). It was intercepted in Nuie.
|
