Environmental factors influencing overwintering success of the golden apple snail, Pomacea canaliculata (Gastropoda: Ampullariidae), in the northernmost population of Japan

Abstract

The effect of environmental factors on the overwintering success of Pomacea canaliculata in the northernmost population of Japan was examined to determine the location of overwintering habitats in the agricultural water system. The snail overwintered only in a portion of the water canals, and did not overwinter in dried paddy fields. In the canal, the density of the snail was not necessarily high at the overwintering site before winter. Overwintering success in the water canal was not explained by temperature and water velocity, but by pH, dissolved oxygen (DO) and depth of water among the sampling sites. To determine the location of a proper overwintering site, it is important to investigate various habitats including places where the snail density is low, and measure various environmental variables including pH, DO, and depth of water.