First record of Melanoides tuberculata (O. F. Müller, 1774) (Gastropoda: Thiaridae) in Bulgaria     

In September 2015, a large amount of shells of Melanoides tuberculata was found in a thermal stream adjacent to Pancherevo Reservoir, near Sofia city, N 42.605297; E 23.403451, 589 m a.s.l. In January 2016, in the same stream, some living specimens were observed. This is the first record of M. tuberculatain Bulgaria.

The freshwater tropical snail Melanoides tuberculata (O. F. Müller, 1774) or red-rimmed melania is native to northern Africa and southern Asia, but it has been accidentally introduced in many other tropical and subtropical areas worldwide. M. tuberculata is both parthenogenic and ovoviparous so this makes it well-adapted for invasion of new habitats. It is often kept in aquaria and has also been accidentally introduced to thermal springs in colder parts of the world in the temperate zone.

Although M. tuberculata can not spread in cold waters, or partially adapt to such habitats, and its populations in temperate zones are restricted only to the areas of the hot springs, this species may affect negatively the hydrobiid snails or other endemic fauna if occurs there. Therefore, preventive measures should be taken to avoid the introduction of the red-rimmed melania in such areas.

For more information:

Gashtarov V., D. Georgiev 2016. First record of introduction of the tropical snail Melanoides tuberculata (O. F. Müller, 1774) in Bulgaria (Gastropoda: Thiaridae). Ecologica Montenegrina, 5: 26-27. >>>

Contact persons:

Viktor Gashtarov This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Dilian Georgiev This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it