Sexual maturity is reached around 8-12mm in shell height, or typically 6-12 months (Abbott (1952). This species is parthenogenic (capable of self-feritlizaiton), and it is likely that most individuals of introduced populations are female clones, as many researchers have failed to find fertile males; the species is also ovoviviparous, meaning their eggs hatch within the body and live young are birthed (Abbott 1952; Appleton et al. 2009). It has been documented that females can birth one offspring every twelve hours (Abbott (1952).

Summary of species impacts derived from literature review. Click on an icon to find out more...

Ecological	Economic	Human Health

Competition

This species is known to outcompete, extirpate and replace native snail species, making the species an effective biological molluscicide used to remove native snails that carry parasites (Prentice 1983).

Parasite

This species is a host to the parasite Centrocestus formosanus, which parasitizes fish gills (Appleton et al. 2009).

In the Caribbean, T. granifera is used as a biological molluscicide to replace native Biomphalaria snails that are vectors for schistosomasis in humans (Appleton et al 2009; van Oosterhout et al. 2013).

Ecological

The introduction of this species in the Caribbean has affected the native hermit crab shell-use and behavior (van Oosterhout et al. 2013).

Predation

In Texas, T. granifera feeds on the eggs of the endangered fountain darter Etheostoma fonticola (Phillips et al. 2010).

Infrastructure

Species has blocked pipes in large industrial plants and ponds in a fish hatchery in introduced areas in Africa, due to its tendency to become very dense (Appleton et al., 2009).

Human Health

Tarebia granfiera was thought to be an intermediate host for the Asian lungfluke Paragonimus westermani,  but this is not actually the case; however, this species still hosts other trematode parasites of the family Heterophyidae (Appleton et al., 2009).