| Brown garden snail |
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Order: Pulmonata
Family: Helicidae
Scientific name: Cantareus aspersus (Müller)
Common name: Brown garden snail (BGS)
Identification
Adults: Shells approximately 28-32mm in diameter, speckled yellow to brown with 4 to 5 whorls. From head to foot, they are about 6cm long.
Juveniles: Smaller version of adult. Eggs: White, spherical, and about 3mm in diameter.
Damage: Juvenile and adult snails feed on a wide variety of plants, including various cereals, vegetables, and ornamentals. Feeding snails leave ragged holes and slime trails on plants. Seedlings and small plants may be totally consumed. Snails are typically nocturnal feeders.
Impacts: BGS poses the highest risk to Oregon’s agricultural industries. To reduce potential spread in nurseries, a quarantine against BGS was established in Oregon in 1983. Areas under quarantine are the states of Arizona, California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and Washington. Grass sod and all plants with roots in soil and any other plant material or articles capable of transporting BGS into Oregon are regulated under this quarantine.
Host plants: BGS are general feeders, consuming a wide variety of plants, including various cereals, vegetables, and ornamentals.
Distribution: Native to Western Europe and the Mediterranean, BGS has spread throughout the world, in part, due to its use as a food source and movement of infested nursery stock. The snail has been introduced to Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Canary Islands, Chile, Haiti, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Turkey, and the United States. In the United States, Cantareus aspersus inhabits most eastern and gulf states and various states west of the Mississippi. In the Pacific Northwest, BGS can be found from California to British Columbia.
Biology and Life Cycle: Eggs, averaging 86 per oviposition, are deposited in the soil. Eggs are camouflaged in masses consisting of a mucous, excrement, and soil mixture. Hatching occurs in approximately 14-28 days, depending on environmental conditions. Oviposition typically occurs from February through October. Eggs may be laid as frequently as once a month under optimal environmental conditions of warm temperatures and high humidity. Young snails emerge and begin feeding on vegetation.
Photo credits:
BGS adult: en:User:Tarquin, Wikipedia Commons, www.wikipedia.org
BGS shell: Robin Rosetta, Oregon State University, www.oregonstate.edu
BGS damage on citrus tree in California: G.W. Delke, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry, www.doacs.state.fl.us/
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