Home/Species/ New Zealand Mudsnail

Potamopyrgus antipodarum

(J.E. Gray, 1853)

New Zealand Mudsnail

G5Secure Found in 10 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →

G5SecureGlobal Rank

Least concernIUCN

Identity

Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.116164

Element CodeIMGASY1010

Record TypeSPECIES

ClassificationSpecies

Classification StatusStandard

Name CategoryInvertebrate Animal

IUCNLeast concern

Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

KingdomAnimalia

PhylumMollusca

ClassGastropoda

OrderLittorinimorpha

FamilyTateidae

GenusPotamopyrgus

Concept Reference

Turgeon, D. D., J. F. Quinn, Jr., A. E. Bogan, E. V. Coan, F. G. Hochberg, W. G. Lyons, P. M. Mikkelsen, R. J. Neves, C. F. E. Roper, G. Rosenberg, B. Roth, A. Scheltema, F. G. Thompson, M. Vecchione, and J. D. Williams. 1998. Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates from the United States and Canada: Mollusks. 2nd Edition. American Fisheries Society Special Publication 26, Bethesda, Maryland. 526 pp.

Conservation Status

Review Date2005-04-01

Change Date2000-10-19

Edition Date2006-05-11

Edition AuthorsCordeiro, J.

Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)

Number of Occurrences> 300

Rank Reasons

A widespread species that originally occurred in New Zealand and has since been introduced into Europe and North America and is spreading.

Range Extent Comments

Native to New Zealand. Introduced to Europe in the 1800's where it is now widespread. Introduced into the Snake River system (Idaho) in North America (first appeared in 1987) and is now present in the Great Lakes and Madison and Missouri rivers (Howells 1999). Since spread to nearly a dozen sites in Lake Ontario (Zaranko et al., 1997). Kerans et al. (2005) list it from Idaho, Great Lakes, California, Wyoming, Montana. Recently introduced to Duluth-Superior Harbor in Duluth, Minnesota (MN DNR, 1 May 2006 news release).

Occurrences Comments

Now present in the Great Lakes and Madison and Missouri rivers (Howells 1999). Since spread to nearly a dozen sites in Lake Ontario (Zaranko et al., 1997). Also Idaho/Wyoming/Montana border area. It has recently been discovered in Pennsylvania at Presque Isle, Erie Co. (Evans and Ray, 2008). Lysne and Pierce (2009) found it rare in Crystal Creek-Spring Creek, Blaine Co., Idaho. Lysne and Clark (2009) found it in the Bruneau River (survey area from Snake River confluence upstream to Hot Creek- 41 km) in Idaho.

Ecology & Habitat

Diagnostic Characteristics

Shell dextral, solid, but not thick-walled. Aperture broadly elliptical with concave columellar margin. Peristome is complete across the parietal wall. The outer and basal lips thickened internally. Adult shell has seven to eight whorls. Length of spire greater than height of the aperture. Spire attenuate and concave in profile. First whorl is minute and raised while remaining whorls of spire evenly rounded between the deeply impressed suture. Body whorl bluntly angulate and slightly flattened abov e periphery, rounded occasionally. A raised periostracal spire line and frills may be present. Umbilicus narrowly perforate. Operculum ovate in shape, thin, corneas, and paucispiral; inner surface has a thin calcareous deposit (Zaranko et al., 1997).

Habitat

Inhabits fresh and brackish water and has been found in water up to 26% aalinity (Zaranko et al., 1997). Lysne and Koetsier (2006) found this species had a preference for gravel substrates in the laboratory (attaining the greatest density) but utilizes almost any substrate. Holomuzki and Biggs (2006) found that most stream dwelling individuals are smooth-shelled while most lake dwelling individuals are spiny and also noted spiny forms are more prone to collect seston and become prone to flow-induced dislodgment than smooth morphs but have decreased predation pressure from the common bully (Gobiomorphus cotidianus).

Reproduction

High reproductive capacity in that it is ovoviviparous or populations may be entirely parthenogenic. Only females noted in Lake Ontario (Zaranko et al., 1997). Annual life cycle and reaches sexual maturity at 3.5 mm and can produce an average of 230 juveniles per year.

Other Nations (2)

CanadaNNA

Province	Rank	Native
Ontario	SNA	No
British Columbia	SNA	No

United StatesNNA

Province	Rank	Native
Minnesota	SNA	No
California	SNA	No
Washington	SNA	No
New York	SNA	No
Oregon	SNA	No
Utah	SNA	No
Idaho	SNA	No
Montana	SNA	No
Wyoming	SNA	No
Arizona	SNA	No

Roadless Areas (10)

California (2)

Area	Forest	Acres
Glass Mountain	Inyo National Forest	52,867
Salt Creek	Angeles National Forest	11,022

Nevada (1)

Area	Forest	Acres
Pearl Peak	Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest	71,405

Utah (7)

Area	Forest	Acres
418014	Uinta National Forest	9,683
418015	Uinta National Forest	17,289
418016	Uinta National Forest	35,240
418025	Uinta National Forest	32,698
Lewis Peak	Wasatch-Cache National Forest	11,616
Mt. Aire	Wasatch-Cache National Forest	9,681
Stansbury Mountains	Wasatch-Cache National Forest	39,696

References (15)

Burch, J.B. 1989. North American Freshwater Snails. Malacological Publications: Hamburg, Michigan. 365 pp.
Evans, R. and S. Ray. 2008. Checklist of the freshwater snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of Pennsylvania, USA. Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science, 82(2/3): 92-97.
Hall, R.O., Jr., M.F. Dybdahl, and M.C. VanderLoop. 2006. Extremely high secondary production of introduced snails in rivers. Ecological Applications, 16(3): 1121-1131.
Holomuzki, J.R. and B.J.F. Biggs. 2006. Habitat-specific variation and performance trade-offs in shell armature of New Zealand mudsnails. Ecology, 87(4): 1038-1047.
Howells, R.G. 1999. Guide to Identification of Harmful and Potentially Harmful Fishes, Shellfishes, and Aquatic Plants Prohibited in Texas. Special Publication. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Austin, Texas 78744.
Kerans, B.L., M.F. Dybdahl, M.M. Gangloff, and J.E. Jannot. 2005. Potamopyrgus antipodarum: distribution, density, and effects on native macroinvertebrate assemblages in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 24(1): 123-138.
Lysne, S. 2009. A Guide to Southern Idaho's Freshwater Mollusks. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 43 pp.
Lysne, S. and P. Koetsier. 2006a. Experimental studies on habitat preference and tolerances of three species of snails from the Snake River of southern Idaho, U.S.A. American Malacological Bulletin 21(1/2): 77-85.
Lysne, S.J. and R. Pierce. 2009. Mollusk survey of Crystal Creek-Spring Creek Ranches, Blaine County, Idaho, USA. Ellipsaria 11(1):20.
Lysne, S.J. and W.H. Clark. 2009. Mollusc survey of the lower Bruneau River, Owyhee County, Idaho, U.S.A. American Malacological Bulletin 27:167-172.
MolluscaBase eds. 2022. MolluscaBase. Accessed at https://www.molluscabase.org.
Richards, D.C and D.C. Shinn. 2004. Intraspecific competition and development of size structure in the invasive snail Potamopyrgus antipodarum (Gray, 1853). American Malacological Bulletin, 19(1/2): 33-37.
Tronstad, L.M. and M. D. Andersen. 2018. Aquatic snails of the Snake and Green River Basins of Wyoming. Report prepared by the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database for the Wyoming Fish and Wildlife Department. 44 pp.
Turgeon, D. D., J. F. Quinn, Jr., A. E. Bogan, E. V. Coan, F. G. Hochberg, W. G. Lyons, P. M. Mikkelsen, R. J. Neves, C. F. E. Roper, G. Rosenberg, B. Roth, A. Scheltema, F. G. Thompson, M. Vecchione, and J. D. Williams. 1998. Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates from the United States and Canada: Mollusks. 2nd Edition. American Fisheries Society Special Publication 26, Bethesda, Maryland. 526 pp.
Zaranko, D.T., D.G. Farara, and F.G. Thompson. 1997. Another exotic mollusc in the Laurentian Great Lakes: the New Zealand native Potamopyrgus antipodarum (Gray 1843) (Gastropoda, Hydroibiidae). Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Science, 54: 809-814.