Faucet Snail – Oneida County Aquatic Invasive Species Program

WHY ARE WE CONCERNED?

• Invasive faucet snails were identified in Wisconsin in 2005 in the Mississippi River Watershed and have since spread to numerous locations around the state.
• Faucet snails have high growth rates allowing them to outcompete native mollusk populations.
• Faucet snails can act as parasite hosts, that when consumed, can kill native waterfowl.
• Faucet snails can live for up to a month in dry mud​.

How It Spreads: The faucet snail can spread by attaching to aquatic plants, boats, anchors, and other recreational gear and equipment. It may also spread to new waterbodies via migrating waterfowl that have ingested infected snails,and potentially by the downstream movement of submerged vegetation to which they’ve attached in high flows. The gear and equipment of waterfowl hunters are also a potential vector of transport and spread, particularly between the Mississippi River and Lower Wisconsin River sloughs

Identification: The faucet snail has a pale, brown shell with 5-6 slightly flattened whorls. The aperture is less than half the height of the shell. Adult faucet snails have a white tear-drop to oval-shaped operculum. The shell is usually 12-15mm tall (about 1/2”).
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Ecology and Natural History: The faucet snail is native to Europe, ranging from Scandinavia to Greece. It is thought to have spread to the United States through solid ballast in timber ships going into Lake Michigan. It is found in freshwater but can inhabit intertidal zones. It eats algae and filter feeds.

Impacts of Introduction: Faucet snails rapid population rates and filter feeding have driven native snails and clams to be threatened. In its native habitats, faucet snails have been known to be hosts for parasites.