Pest alert: Invasive horntail snail found for first time in South Florida
Photo courtesy Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
TAMPA, Fla. - A horntail snail, an invasive pest common in India, has been found in Miami-Dade County, spurring agriculture officials to start a program to prevent the possible spread of the species, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said Thursday.
The state says a "gastropod enthusiast" collected unusual snails in the Coconut Grove area back in August. They have now been identified as Macrochlamyis indica, the invasive snail.
“The horntail snail is an invasive pest with the potential to cause serious health implications for Floridians,” Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said in a prepared statement. “Our Division of Plant Industry and essential industry partners are continuing to monitor this threat and working towards a plan to stop the horntail snail’s spread into other areas of Florida.”
The department said horntail snails feed on a variety of crops, such as lettuce, beans and yams. They can live up to four years and can lay between 45 and 900 eggs per year, which will begin hatching after 10 to 17 days.
It also said the snails can be an “intermediate host” of rat lung worm, which can cause meningitis in humans.
Photo by Elijah J. Talamas, FDACS-DPI.
Experts with the University of Florida say identification of the horntail snail is easy because of the pointed, fleshy protrusion (caudal horn) at the tip of its tail.
Anyone who sees horntail snail is asked to contact the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ (FDACS) Division of Plant Industry helpline at 1-888-397-1517.