Room For One

Meet Bradybaena Similaris, commonly known as the Asian Tramp Snail that is considered by many as an agricultural pest. It is here on my patio screen just getting a sun tan this morning.

This is an exotic import thought to have originated in south China and spread throughout the world, initially by hitchhiking on cargo transported by ship. The Asian tramp snail was first reported in the United States in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1939 This species was first recorded in Duval County, Florida in 1985 when a specimen was found on a head of lettuce at a local Winn-Dixie Grocery Store. Bradybaena Similaris has been found at many locations ranging from off the east coast of Africa, Australia, South America, as well as Bermuda, Barbados, and the Bahamas. Asian tramp snails have been reported as serious pests on citrus farms, as a source of damage to satsuma (that's my favorite tangerine) fruit plantations in Louisiana and as a serious agricultural pest in Hong Kong, feeding mainly on Chinese white cabbage, flowering cabbage, watercress and beans.

I read that this fellow likes to feed on lily! I need to keep an eye on my dwarf while lily from now on, and I hope my frog who patrols my patio nightly does not find this one anytime soon or he'll be frog food in no time.