The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™
ISSN 2307-8235 (online)
IUCN 2008: T155675A42420839
Melanoides tuberculata
Assessment by: Van Damme, D.
View on www.iucnredlist.org
Citation: Van Damme, D. 2014. Melanoides tuberculata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
2014: e.T155675A42420839. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.20143.RLTS.T155675A42420839.en
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THE IUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES™
Taxonomy
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Animalia
Mollusca
Gastropoda
Sorbeoconcha
Thiaridae
Taxon Name: Melanoides tuberculata (Müller, 1774)
Synonym(s):
• Nerita tuberculata Müller, 1774
• Thiara tuberculata (Mueller, 1774)
Regional Assessments:
• Western Africa
• Northern Africa
• Eastern Africa
• Europe
• Southern Africa
• Northeastern Africa
• Pan-Africa
• Central Africa
Taxonomic Notes:
The species name is sometimes spelled Melanoides tuberculatus (see Madhyastha 2012), but this is
incorrect because Melanoides Olivier, 1804 was clearly intended to be feminine as it was combined with
the feminine specific epithet fasciolata in the original description.
Assessment Information
Red List Category & Criteria:
Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published:
2014
Date Assessed:
January 18, 2013
Justification:
The species has a worldwide distribution with no specific threats affecting it and hence it is assessed as
Least Concern (LC).
Previously Published Red List Assessments
2012 – Least Concern (LC)
2010 – Least Concern (LC)
Geographic Range
Range Description:
This species has a global distribution. Its original range covers subtropical and tropical Africa (with
exception of the Congo Basin and most of coastal western Africa) and southern Asia. During the 20th
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Melanoides tuberculata – published in 2014.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T155675A42420839.en
1
Century it was introduced, e.g. via rice cultivation, to many other regions and it is presently found over
all of Africa, the entire Arabian Peninsula, western Asia, south and southeast Asia including southern
China and also in Japan, Malaysia, and Australia (Liu et al. 1979, Brown 1994, Ramakrishna and Dey
2007). The last two decades it has been moving northwards into Europe, having crossed the
Mediterranean, and has been found e.g. in southern Spain (Álvarez Halcón 1995). It was also introduced
in North, middle and South America. In addition to the countries and regions listed, it also occurs in
many Palaeartic countries indoors (aquariums, hothouses, garden shops) or outdoors in warm waters,
either artificial ones such as cooling water ponds e.g. of nuclear power plants, or natural ones, such as a
thermal spring outflow in Slovakia (Májsky 2000).
Country Occurrence:
Native: Algeria; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Burundi; China; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Egypt;
Eritrea; Ethiopia; India; Japan; Kenya; Kuwait; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Libya; Malawi;
Malaysia; Morocco; Mozambique; Namibia; Nepal; Niger; Oman; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; South Africa; Sri
Lanka; Sudan; Swaziland; Tanzania, United Republic of; Thailand; Tunisia; United Arab Emirates; Viet
Nam; Yemen (North Yemen, Socotra, South Yemen); Zimbabwe
Introduced: Australia; Bolivia, Plurinational States of; Brazil; Cuba; Dominica; French Guiana; Guyana;
New Zealand; Slovakia; Spain; Suriname; Trinidad and Tobago; United States; Uruguay; Venezuela,
Bolivarian Republic of
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Melanoides tuberculata – published in 2014.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T155675A42420839.en
2
Distribution Map
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Melanoides tuberculata – published in 2014.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T155675A42420839.en
3
Population
The species' populations may reach extremely high densities of 200-300 ind/m² (Lévêque 1967) up to
10.000 ind/m² (Pererea et al. 1996) in sandy or gravelly sediments where the snails do not only live
upon the surface but also in the top-layer (endobenthic).
Current Population Trend: Increasing
Habitat and Ecology (see Appendix for additional information)
The species is found in all types of permanent waters, from small springs to vast lakes, e.g. Lake Victoria,
and from oligotrophic to eutrophic waters. It is a browser of microalgae and a detritivore, feeding on
detritus, plant leaves and dead animals, and is able to survive in relatively alkaline and saline waters.
The species is parthenogenetic and is spread by birds. The species is the intermediate host of several
trematodes.
Systems: Freshwater
Use and Trade (see Appendix for additional information)
The species has been spread world-wide e.g. via the aquarium trade. It is well known that the species is
eaten by molluscivorous fish, such as some cichlid species and carp, but its use as a commercially
interesting food source in fish farming requires confirmation.
Threats
This species thrives in aquatic habitats strongly impacted by human activities e.g. eutrophied artificial
lakes, rice paddies, canals, etc. It seems resistant to most threats, droughts excepted.
Conservation Actions (see Appendix for additional information)
Considering the strongly invasive nature of this species, that presently is circumtropical and is moving
north in the temperate zone (global warming), it constitutes a threat to aquatic biodiversity. No
conservation actions are needed for this species.
Credits
Assessor(s):
Van Damme, D.
Reviewer(s):
Kebapçı, U., Lopes-Lima , M., Numa, C. & Seddon, M.B.
Contributor(s):
Neubert, E., Amr, Z.S.S. & Madhyastha, A.
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Melanoides tuberculata – published in 2014.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T155675A42420839.en
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Bibliography
Álvarez Halcón RM. 1995. Presencia de Melanoides tuberculata (Müller, 1774) en Alhama de Aragón
(Zaragoza, España). Noticiario SEM 23(32-34).
Brown, D.S. 1994. Freshwater Snails of Africa and their Medical Importance. Taylor & Francis, London.
IUCN. 2014. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. Available at: www.iucnredlist.org.
(Accessed: 13 November 2014).
Leveque,C. 1967. Mollusques aquatiques de la zone est du Lac Tchad. Bulletin l'I.F.A.N. 24, Series A(4).
Liu, Y., Zhang, W., Wang, Y. and Wang, E. 1979. Economic fauna of China - Freshwater Mollusca. Science
Press, Beijing.
Madhyastha, A. 2012. Melanoides tuberculatus. Available at: www.iucnredlist.org.
Májsky, J. 2000. Ichtyofauna termálnych vôd Podunajskej níziny a Hornonitrianskej kotliny. Ochrana
prírody 18: 155-160.
Pererea G. & Walls J. G. & Wells, J. 1996. Apple Snails in the Aquarium: Ampullariids : Their
Identification, Care, and Breeding. TFH Publications.
Ramakrishna and Dey, A. 2007. Handbook on Indian freshwater molluscs. Zoological Survey of India,
Kolkata.
Citation
Van Damme, D. 2014. Melanoides tuberculata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2014:
e.T155675A42420839. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T155675A42420839.en
Disclaimer
To make use of this information, please check the Terms of Use.
External Resources
For Images and External Links to Additional Information, please see the Red List website.
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Melanoides tuberculata – published in 2014.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T155675A42420839.en
5
Appendix
Habitats
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Habitat
Season
Suitability
Major
Importance?
5. Wetlands (inland) -> 5.1. Wetlands (inland) - Permanent
Rivers/Streams/Creeks (includes waterfalls)
-
Suitable
Yes
5. Wetlands (inland) -> 5.5. Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Freshwater
Lakes (over 8ha)
-
Suitable
Yes
5. Wetlands (inland) -> 5.7. Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Freshwater
Marshes/Pools (under 8ha)
-
Suitable
Yes
5. Wetlands (inland) -> 5.9. Wetlands (inland) - Freshwater Springs and
Oases
-
-
-
5. Wetlands (inland) -> 5.14. Wetlands (inland) - Permanent Saline, Brackish
or Alkaline Lakes
-
-
-
Use and Trade
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
End Use
Local
National
International
Food - animal
Yes
No
No
Conservation Actions in Place
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Conservation Actions in Place
In-Place Research, Monitoring and Planning
Action Recovery plan: No
Systematic monitoring scheme: No
In-Place Land/Water Protection and Management
Conservation sites identified: Yes, over part of range
Occur in at least one PA: Unknown
Area based regional management plan: No
In-Place Species Management
Harvest management plan: No
Successfully reintroduced or introduced beningly: No
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Melanoides tuberculata – published in 2014.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T155675A42420839.en
6
Conservation Actions in Place
Subject to ex-situ conservation: No
In-Place Education
Subject to recent education and awareness programmes: No
Included in international legislation: No
Subject to any international management/trade controls: No
Research Needed
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Research Needed
1. Research -> 1.2. Population size, distribution & trends
1. Research -> 1.3. Life history & ecology
1. Research -> 1.5. Threats
Additional Data Fields
Population
Population severely fragmented: No
Habitats and Ecology
Continuing decline in area, extent and/or quality of habitat: Unknown
Congregatory: Congregatory (and dispersive)
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Melanoides tuberculata – published in 2014.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2014-3.RLTS.T155675A42420839.en
7
The IUCN Red List Partnership
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is produced and managed by the IUCN Global Species
Programme, the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) and The IUCN Red List Partnership. The IUCN
Red List Partners are: BirdLife International; Botanic Gardens Conservation International; Conservation
International; Microsoft; NatureServe; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Sapienza University of Rome; Texas
A&M University; Wildscreen; and Zoological Society of London.
THE IUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES™