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Invasive Species: Wrinkled Dune Snail

Invasive Species: Wrinkled Dune Snail

Wrinkled Dune Snail

(Candidula intersecta)
*Not detected in Michigan*

PROHIBITED IN MICHIGAN

Report this species:

Use the Midwest Invasive Species Information Network (MISIN) online reporting tool

- Or - download the MISIN smartphone app and report from your phone - MISIN.MSU.edu/tools/apps/#home

 

Identification:

  • Shell is pale white or yellow with brown spots or bands.
  • Body is often pale-yellow or blue-gray.
  • Shell size varies, ranging from 7-13 mm long and 5-8 mm high.

wrinkled dune snail
Photo courtesy of Mark Hitchcox, APHIS.

wrinkled dune snail group
Photo courtesy of Mark Hitchcox, APHIS.

wrinkled dune snail
Photo courtesy of Mark Hitchcox, APHIS.

Diet: Seeds and seedlings of cereal crops, and apple, pear, plum and peach trees.

Habitat: Wrinkled dune snails frequently inhabit dry, open areas such as pastures and coastal plains.

Native Range: Western Europe.

Local Concern: This species of snail will damage fruit crops while still attached to the tree, which may allow for secondary infections that can kill the tree. They also have a high propensity to aggregate on cereal grains. This poses a threat of contamination and of secondary infestation by fungal pathogens that make the grain toxic. They are difficult to manage because they are able to survive cultivation in field cropping systems.

Potential Means of Introduction: Several pathways for invasion exist including hitchhiking.

MORE INFORMATION:

Wrinkled Dune Snail Invasive Species Alert - Printable PDF