Pomacea

Pomacea is a genus of freshwater snails with gills and an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails. The genus is native to the Americas; most species in this genus are restricted to South America. in the aquarium trade these snails are sometimes called Pomacea or incorrectly Ampullarius, and in English as ' mystery snail' or 'apple snail'. Some species have been introduced outside their native range and are considered invasive because of their voracious appetite for plants. Because of this, imports involving this genus are restricted in some regions (including the United States) and are entirely banned in others (including the EU). Species in the genus Pomacea include: subgenus Effusa Jousseaume, 1889 subgenus Pomacea Perry, 1810 Because of the potential to destroy aquatic and marsh vegetation in the wild, the European Union has banned all imports of snails from the family Ampullariidae, which includes the genus Pomacea.