Golden Apple Snails

Abstract

Golden apple snails are tremendously serious global invasive pests originated from South America. They were introduced into China in 1979 as commercial production. During last 30 years, researches on species identity, spread and origination, as well as the management have been progressed. It has been clarified that there are Pomacea canaliculata, P. maculata, and a possible cryptic species widely spread in south provinces of China. The apple snails were deduced to have a high level of diversity with multiple and secondary introductions. The invasive expansion of apple snails was affected by temperature and hydrology, but they have a high tolerance and adaption capacity. The pest control strategy, including the physical, agricultural, and biological methods are summarized, among which the biological method by releasing biological agents in crop fields has been evaluated as an effective method. Further research should focus on the spread trends and invasive pathways of different apple snail species for the integrated pest control application on field managements. The government should strengthen an administrative supervision and provide propaganda education in preventing apple snails.