Valvata piscinalis
Common Name:
European stream valvata
Synonyms and Other Names:
European valve snail
Identification:
Valvata piscinalis has a somewhat pinched aperture and an attenuate spire (Grigorovich et al. 2005). Spire height tends to increases in more eutrophic conditions (Fretter and Graham 1978, Grigorovich et al. 2005). Shells of this species often exhibit 4–5 whorls (Grigorovich et al. 2005) and are white to beige with more orange to red pigmentation apically (Fretter and Graham 1978). The operculum shows spiral markings of around 10 turns, originating almost centrally (Fretter and Graham 1978). The animals are yellow colored, spotted grey and white, with blue eyes and darker pigmentation on the snout, mantle and base of the penis (Fretter and Graham 1978). Valvatids all exhibit a bipectinate ctenidium (respiratory organ) that is visible as the animal moves (Fretter and Graham 1978). The European valve snail can be confused with V. sincera, a native species in the Great Lakes; however, the native species has a more spherical aperture, a wider umbilicus, a conical spire and more widely spaced and rough growth lines on the shell in comparison with the introduced species (Grigorovich et al. 2005). In the Great Lakes, mature adult European valve snails are 5 mm high and 3–5 mm wide (Grigorovich et al. 2005). In Europe, this snail has been found up to 7 mm high and 6.5 mm wide, but is usually smaller (Fretter and Graham 1978).
Size:
can reach 7 mm in length
Native Range:
The European valve snail is native to Europe, the Caucasus, western Siberia and Central Asia and is common in many freshwater environments therein (Grigorovich et al. 2005). It is entirely absent from Iceland (Fretter and Graham 1978).
Great Lakes Nonindigenous Occurrences:
The European valve snail was originally introduced to Lake Ontario at the mouth of the Genesee River in 1897. In forty years it dispersed to Lake Erie and subsequently it expanded its range to the St. Lawrence River, the Hudson River, Champlain Lake, and Cayuga Lake. Valvata piscinalis was recorded in the 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century in Superior Bay in Lake Superior (Minnesota), Lake Michigan (Wisconsin), and Oneida Lake in the Lake Ontario watershed (New York State) (Grigorovich et al. 2005).
Table 1. Great Lakes region nonindigenous occurrences, the earliest and latest observations in each state/province, and the tally and names of HUCs with observations†. Names and dates are hyperlinked to their relevant specimen records. The list of references for all nonindigenous occurrences of Valvata piscinalis are found here.
Full list of USGS occurrences
Table last updated 5/1/2024
† Populations may not be currently present.
Ecology:
Valvata piscinalis is known for its rapid growth and high fecundity. It reproduces as a hermaphrodite, one individual acting as the male and the other as the female, and has no free larval stage (Fretter and Graham 1978, Grigorovich et al. 2005). It may spawn 2 or 3 times in a year, laying up to 150 eggs at a time (Grigorovich et al. 2005) which are deposited on vegetation. Hatching normally occurs in 15–30 days (Fretter and Graham 1978). Individuals breed around the age of 1 and usually die at 13–21 months (Grigorovich et al. 2005). In Europe, breeding occurs from April to September, occurring later at more northerly latitudes (Fretter and Graham 1978).
The species is an efficient feeder, grazing on epiphytic algae and detritus, and in more eutrophic environments is capable of filter feeding on suspended organic matter and algae (Grigorovich et al. 2005). Valvata piscinalis can also rasp off pieces of aquatic vegetation (Fretter and Graham 1978).
Found in freshwater lakes and streams. In its native range, this species’ presence has been associated with oligotrophic nearshore zones (Grigorovich et al. 2005), clear-water habitats more than turbid water, sparsely vegetated lakes or sites dominated by Chara spp. and Potamogeton spp. (Van den Berg et al. 1995, Van den Berg et al. 1997), littoral habitats with high siltation rates (Smith et al. 1994), lentic and stagnant waters or slow streams (Frank 1987), fine substrates (mud, silt and sand) – especially during hibernation, and aquatic macrophytes – for laying its egg masses (Grigorovich et al. 2005). The snail appears to be somewhat resistant to declines in macrophyte cover, because populations have been recorded to survive in ponds after vegetation cover almost completely disappeared (Lodge and Kelly 1985). This species is found anywhere from 0.5–23 m in the Great Lakes (Grigorovich et al. 2005). In Europe, it usually is found up to 10 m (Fretter and Graham 1978).
Valvata piscinalis tolerates varying calcium concentrations and generally does not require very high temperatures to survive (Fretter and Graham 1978, Grigorovich et al. 2005). Individuals can overwinter in mud, often experiencing growth during this cold period (Chernogorenko 1980, Fretter and Graham 1978), although some populations may experience mortality in frozen littoral zones (Olsson 1984). This species can tolerate salinities up to 0.2% (Fretter and Graham 1978) and is distributed in northern parts of the Curonian Lagoon, where it experiences periodic intrusions of saline water for a few hours or days at a time (Bubinas and Vaitonis 2005, Olenin and Daunys 2005).
Valvata piscinalis is a common first intermediate host for the parasitic trematode Echinoparyphium recurvatum and has also been shown to act as the first and second intermediate hosts to E. mordwilokoi in native environments in Europe (Evans et al. 1981, Grabda-Kazubska and Kiseliene 1991, McCarthy 1990). The snail also has chemosensory perception that allows it to detect nearby leeches and distinguish molluscivores from non-molluscivores, and thus close its operculum to avoid predation (Kelly and Cory 1987).
Means of Introduction:
The European valve snail was most likely first introduced to Lake Ontario in packing material made of straw and marsh grasses used to protect breakable items arriving from Europe (Mills et al. 1993). Subsequent range expansion may have occurred via natural dispersal, while more recent records of the 1990s and the first decade of the 21st century may have been aided by human-mediated dispersal in ships and via canals (Grigorovich et al. 2005).
Status:
The European valve snail is established in all the Great Lakes except for the St. Clair River and Lake Huron (Grigorovich et al. 2005). Populations are much more sparsely distributed and often disjunct in the more recently colonized areas.
Great Lakes Impacts:
Summary of species impacts derived from literature review. Click on an icon to find out more...
Current research on the environmental impact of Valvata piscinalis in the Great Lakes is inadequate to support proper assessment.
Realized:
When V. piscinalis was introduced to Oneida Lake, native gastropods (in particular, hydrobiid snails) appeared to decrease in abundance (Grigorovich et al. 2005), possibly due to competition.
Potential:
This species has the potential to compete with native gastropods for food and space (Grigorovich et al. 2005). Unlike native gastropods, it is capable of filter feeding on suspended food items in eutrophic conditions, which could conceivably allow it to become competitively dominant in such conditions (Grigorovich et al. 2005). In eutrophic Oneida Lake, densities of V. piscinalis were found to have an average of 216 individuals/m-2, but it has been recorded at densities above 600/m-2 in highly productive lakes elsewhere (Grigorovich et al. 2005). However, V. piscinalis also has the ability to close its operculum and may spend long periods of time with it closed; it has been observed in laboratory that this behavior lengthens the response time of V. piscinalis to available food relative to other snail species, potentially making it a poorer competitor (Lombardo et al. 2010).
Valvata piscinalis could act as a vector of parasites, including the parasitic trematode flukes Echinoparyphium recurvatum and E. mordwilokoi, which it has hosted in its native range (Evans et al. 1981, Grabda-Kazubska and Kiseliene 1991, McCarthy 1990).
There is little or no evidence to support that Valvata piscinalis has significant socio-economic impacts in the Great Lakes.
There is little or no evidence to support that Valvata piscinalis has significant beneficial effects in the Great Lakes.
Management:
Regulations (pertaining to the Great Lakes region)
There are no known regulations for this species.
Note: Check federal, state/provincial, and local regulations for the most up-to-date information.
Control
Specific control methods for Valvata piscinalis have yet to be developed.
Biological
Manipulation of predator fishes and turtles that eat snails may be useful in the control of snail populations. However, as a relatively large snail species, Valvata piscinalis may escape predation by smaller fishes.
Physical
There are no known physical control methods for this species.
Chemical
There are copper compounds that are sold as snailicides but they are usually not selective in the snails they kill. With Valvata piscinalis possessing the ability to “close up”, more damage would probably occur to native snails in the treatment area than to the target pest.
Note: Check state/provincial and local regulations for the most up-to-date information regarding permits for control methods. Follow all label instructions.
References
(click for full reference list)
Author:
Kipp, R.M., A.J. Benson, J. Larson, and A. Fusaro
Contributing Agencies:
Revision Date:
12/6/2019
Citation for this information:
Kipp, R.M., A.J. Benson, J. Larson, and A. Fusaro, 2024, Valvata piscinalis: U.S. Geological Survey, Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database, Gainesville, FL, and NOAA Great Lakes Aquatic Nonindigenous Species Information System, Ann Arbor, MI, https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/greatLakes/FactSheet.aspx?Species_ID=1043&Potential=N&Type=0&HUCNumber=DGreatLakes, Revision Date: 12/6/2019, Access Date: 5/1/2024
This information is preliminary or provisional and is subject to revision. It is being provided to meet the need for timely best science. The information has not received final approval by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and is provided on the condition that neither the USGS nor the U.S. Government shall be held liable for any damages resulting from the authorized or unauthorized use of the information.