Pomacea paludosa Shell Variation

      Pomacea paludosa shells from 22 locations within Duval County were examined and generally speaking they show little variation in coloration and spire height. However, the shells from the FSCJ South Campus lake not only are generally lighter in coloration than those from other locations but they consistently have a much higher spire - some with an extremely high spire reminiscent of the exotic common aquarium species Pomacea diffusa Blume, 1957 [Spiketop Applesnail]. Illustrated below is a high-spired morph from the FSCJ lake (53 mm.) and an unusually flat-spired shell of like size from a small retention pond in Lantana Lakes Subdivision - a location but 3,200 yards distant.

Pomacea paludosa Shell Variation

Pomacea paludosa Shell Variation

Pomacea paludosa Shell Variation

Below: Pomacea diffusa Blume, 1957 from the aquarium trade

Pomacea diffusa Blume, 1957 from the aquarium trade