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Friday 14 August 2015

Seminole rams-horn - Helisoma duryi (Wetherby, 1879) - (alien invader) - Cyprus

 See also

List of non-marine molluscs of Cyprus - Freshwater snails and Land snails of Cyprus

(alien invader)
Planorbella duryi, common name the Seminole rams-horn, is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, a pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails. The species is endemic to Florida and is found frequently in home aquariums. In the wild they are brown. In captivity they have been bred to come in many colours. This species of snail is endemic to the freshwater ecosystems of the US state of Florida. Fossils of the species have been found dating back to the Piacenzian, in the Tamiami formation.

It has been introduced to Hawaii and lives in the wild there. It is an introduced species in various European islands and countries including. They are found in most freshwater habitats including streams and ponds. This species is listed by natureserve as G5,
They are hermaphrodites. They lay eggs and are very fast breeders
They are a very common aquarium snail. Eggs can get into aquariums on plants. Some people consider them pests due to their ability to breed very fast and overpopulate. Other people value them as part of their clean up crew. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Photos by George Konstantinou

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