An official website of the United States government.

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites always use a .gov or .mil domain. Before sharing sensitive information online, make sure you’re on a .gov or .mil site by inspecting your browser’s address (or “location”) bar.

This site is also protected by an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate that’s been signed by the U.S. government. The https:// means all transmitted data is encrypted — in other words, any information or browsing history that you provide is transmitted securely.

National Invasive Species Information Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Home / Aquatic Invasives / Aquatic Invertebrates / New Zealand Mud Snail

New Zealand Mud Snail

View all resources
New Zealand mud snails
New Zealand mud snails - Photo by Mike Gangloff
Scientific Name: 
Potamopyrgus antipodarum (J. E. Gray, 1853) (ITIS)
Synonym: 
Hydrobia jenkinsi (Smith E. A., 1884), Potamopyrgus jenkinsi (Smith, 1889) (CABI)
Common Name: 
New Zealand mud snail, Jenkin's spire shell
Native To: 
New Zealand (NAS Database)
Date of U.S. Introduction: 
First discovered in Idaho in 1987 (NAS Database)
Means of Introduction: 
Unknown; possibly through ballast water or game fish imports (Zaranko et al. 1997; NAS Database)
Impact: 
Unknown; may displace and compete with native invertebrates (NAS Database)
Current U.S. Distribution: 
West Coast; Great Lakes; Chesapeake Bay

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database: Point Map - New Zealand Mudsnail
DOI. USGS. Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.
Provides detailed collection information as well as animated map.

Images

Google Images - New Zealand Mud Snail
Google.
Invasive.org - New Zealand Mud Snail
University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health.

Videos

YouTube - Michigan EnviroMINUTE: New Zealand Mud Snail

Google. YouTube; Michigan Department of Environmental, Great Lakes, and Energy. 

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source. Or, to display all related content view all resources for New Zealand Mud Snail.

Council or Task Force
Priority Species: New Zealand Mud Snail

Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office. Washington Invasive Species Council.

Species of Concern Fact Sheet: New Zealand Mudsnail
Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force.
Partnership
NOBANIS: Invasive Alien Species Fact Sheet - Potamopyrgus antipodarum (2010) (PDF | 155 KB)
European Network on Invasive Alien Species.
See also: NOBANIS Fact Sheets for invasive alien species of the European region, covering both animals and plants, as well as microorganisms
Global Invasive Species Database - Potamopyrgus antipodarum (mollusc)
IUCN. Species Survival Commission. Invasive Species Specialist Group.
Invaders Factsheet: Invasive Snails

Ontario's Invading Species Awareness Program (Canada).

Invasive Species Compendium - Potamopyrgus antipodarum
CAB International.
Non-native Species Information: Jenkins' Spire Snail
Great Britain Non-Native Species Secretariat.
The Quiet Invasion: A Guide to Invasive Species of the Galveston Bay Area - New Zealand Mud Snail

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Galveston Bay Estuary Program; Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC).

Federal Government
Invasive Animal Species: Mud Snails
DOI. NPS. Yosemite National Park.
National Exotic Marine and Estuarine Species Information System (NEMESIS) - Potamopyrgus antipodarum

Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Marine Invasions Research Lab.

Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database: Fact Sheet - New Zealand Mudsnail
DOI. USGS. Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.
Provides distribution maps and collection information (State and County).
State and Local Government
Aquatic Invasive Species - New Zealand mudsnail
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Aquatic Nuisance Species List - New Zealand mudsnail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum)

Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism.

California's Invaders: New Zealand Mudsnail

California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

King County Invader: New Zealand Mudsnail

King County Department of Natural Resources (Washington). Water and Land Resources Division.

New Zealand mudsnail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum)

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Top Invasive Concerns: New Zealand Mudsnails
Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
State wildlife officials first discovered New Zealand mudsnails in South Boulder Creek in 2004 and are taking action to prevent them from spreading. The New Zealand mudsnail competes with native invertebrate species and can destroy forage important to trout and other native fishes. Learn more how to identify the New Zealand Mudsnails, how to stop the spread and how to report sightings.
Academic
New Zealand Mudsnails: How to Prevent the Spread of New Zealand Mudsnails through Field Gear (Second Edition) (Feb 2010)

Oregon Sea Grant.

Factsheet: New Zealand Mudsnail
Pennsylvania State University. Pennsylvania Sea Grant.
See also: Aquatic Invasive Species: Resources for additional species information
Invasive Species: New Zealand Mud Snail

University of California, Santa Barbara. Marine Science Institute. Riparian Invasions Research Laboratory.

New Zealand Mud Snail, Potamopyrgus antipodarum

University of California - Riverside. Center for Invasive Species Research.

New Zealand Mudsnails
University of California. Division of Agricultural and Natural Resources. Cooperative Extension.

Citations