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Swampy Creek On Baymeadows Rd. East, Southeastern Duval County, Florida |
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As part of an on-going project to formally document the presence of
Pomacea paludosa (Say,
1829) [Florida Applesnail]
in northeast Florida, on June 21, 2006 an exploratory visit was made to
a formerly difficult to access area on Baymeadows Road East -
immediately east of State Road 9A. Rapid development of this area along
with the associated road construction has now enabled easy access. The
initial location visited was a concrete bridge over a swampy creek near
the intersection of Baymeadows Road East and Deerwood Park Boulevard.
While no evidence of Pomacea was initially observed, a more
thorough investigation revealed a single egg clutch on aquatic
vegetation near the downstream side of the culvert. Following the
waterway upstream for about 150 yards, two additional egg clutches were
soon discovered. It therefore appears likely that the area's entire
drainage system (and nearby swamp) have a small breeding population of
Pomacea paludosa. A more thorough investigation will be conducted
at a later date. Unlike most waterways in southeastern Duval County
which flow into the St. Johns River, the waterways east of State Road
9A flow into the intracoastal waterway. Addendum: Due to development of the area, a significant portion of the vegetation which had inhibited access to the water was cut and removed. Thus, during a follow-up visit on April 6, 2007, two small Pomacea shells were found. |
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Location Where The First Pomacea Egg Clutch Was Found |
Pomacea Egg Clutch In Situ |
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Looking Downstream From The Location Where The First Pomacea Egg Clutch Was Found |
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