MO.117 Pila globosa (apple snail)

 

Phylum: Mollusca

Class: Gastropoda

Order:  Architaenioglossa

Family:  Ampullariidae

Genus:  Pila

Species:  globosa

 

Description:     

        Apple snails are in fact the biggest living freshwater snails on earth. Apple snails are exceptionally well adapted to tropical regions where periods of drought alternate with periods with excessive rainfall.     

      They get their name from the fact that one species of apple snails can grow to be the size of an apple. The apple snails are popular aquarium-pets because of their attractive appearance and size. The unique feature of Pila is the presence of an operculum. An operculum is a calcareous anatomical structure which also has concentric lines of growth.

 

IUCN Status: Threatened