You are here:
The faucet snail (Bithynia tentaculata) invades the St. Louis River Estuary
Citation:
Trebitz, A., J. Hoffman, Greg Peterson, G. Shepard, A. Frankiewicz, B. Gilbertson, V. Brady, R. Hell, H. Wellard-Kelly, AND K. Schmude. The faucet snail (Bithynia tentaculata) invades the St. Louis River Estuary. St. Louis River Estuary Summit, Superior, WI, March 31 - April 01, 2015.
Impact/Purpose:
not applicable
Description:
The European-origin faucet snail (Bithynia tentaculata) now numbers among the aquatic invasive species present in the St. Louis River Estuary. This snail has been in the lower Great Lakes since the early 20th century but is new to the Lake Superior basin. We found faucet snails in the estuary for the first time in 2011 with additional and more spatially extensive finds in 2012 and 2013. Finds were primarily in shallow vegetated sites that had been sampled with D-frame nets; the snails were only rarely detected in ponar samples even though we sampled with ponars extensively. Close inspection is required to differentiate the faucet snail from similar-looking native snails; our poster will include identification tips. The faucet snail can compete with native snails and clog surfaces, but a greater concern is that it hosts parasitic trematodes known to cause mortality in waterfowl. Given the importance of the estuary to migratory waterfowl and the potential for snails to spread via attachment to boats and sampling gear, the faucet snail needs to be included among species targeted by monitoring, education, and decontamination measures.