Batillaria attramentaria
System : Marine
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Animalia
Mollusca
Gastropoda
Neotaenioglossa
Batillariidae
  • General
  • Distribution
  • Impact
  • Management
  • Bibliography
  • Contact
Common name
Japanese snail (English), Asian horn snail (English), Japanese false cerith (English), Asian estaurine mudsnail (English), Japanese mud snail (English)
Synonym
Barillaria attramentaria , (Sowerby, 1855)
Batillaria cumungi
Similar species
Cerithidea californica
Summary
Batillaria attramentaria, commonly known as the Asian hornsnail, was introduced to America from Japan at some point in the late 1920s and early 1930s. It is found in the United States in California and Washington. The Asian hornsnail has become a problem because it displaces the native snail, Ceritidea californica, through superior competition for benthic diatom food resources. Its relative success over the native snail is aided due to its resistance to parasites that affect C. californica.
Species Description
Batillaria attramentaria are about 1.5cm in their first year (Whitlatch and Obreski, 1980) and they can grow as large as 3.5cm in a period of 8-10 years (Yamada, 1982).
Notes
In the early days of studying this species on the west coast of North America, the (incorrect) name of Batillaris zonalis was applied, thus some of papers from 1970's and maybe early 80's refer to B. attramentaria as B. zonalis (Dr. James (Jeb) Byers., pers.comm., May 2008).
Lifecycle Stages
Batillaria attramentaria has an average lifespan of 6 to 10 years. This species is about 3mm in its first year. In a period of 8 years, the mollusc will grow to 2-3.5cm. Though it has grown less in a longer period of time, longer growing seasons and more food could be the cause (Yamada, 1982).
Uses
Batillaria attramentaria has some positive effects on native species. In some areas like Padilla Bay, Washington living and dead shells of this species provide a novel hard substratum in an otherwise soft sediment dominated habitat. Thus its shells can increase eelgrass cover or become shelter for hermit crabs after its death (Wonham et al, 2005).
Habitat Description
Batillaria attramentaria are found in salt marshes, mudflats (Byers, 1999), and pannes, which are small ponds in salt marshes (Byers, 2000a).
Reproduction
Eggs from Batillaria attramentaria will attach to the mud surface on which it resides, the eggs develop directly here (Whitlatch 1972, 1974).
Nutrition
Batillaria attramentaria prefers diatoms that grow on the surface of mud. These are called epipelic diatoms and they consist of ~70-80% of their diet (Whitlatch and Obrebski 1980, Byers, 2000a).
Pathway
Batillaria attramentaria was brought to North America with Crassostrea gigas (Byers, 1999).

Principal source: Byers, J.E. 1999. The distribution of an introduced mollusc and its role in long-term demise of a native confamilial species. Biological Invasions. 1: 339-352.
Byers, J.E. 2000. Competition between Two Estuarine Snails: Implications for Invasions of Exotic Species. Ecology. 81(5): 1225-1239.

Compiler: National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) & IUCN/SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG)

Review: Dr. James (Jeb) Byers, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Zoology, Department of Zoology University of New Hampshire. USA

Publication date: 2007-05-14

Recommended citation: Global Invasive Species Database (2024) Species profile: Batillaria attramentaria. Downloaded from http://www.iucngisd.org/gisd/species.php?sc=1150 on 18-04-2024.

General Impacts
Batillaria attramentaria, since its arrival to North America, has reduced native biodiversity. It is known to have decreased populations of the California hornsnail (Cerithidea californica) (Byers, 1999). Batillaria attramentaria is a superior competitor for shared food resources (benthic diatoms) (Byers 2000a). Also there are many trematode parasites that infect the California hornsnail, but only one trematode species (itself a non-native species) that infects B. attramentaria (Torchin et al. 2005). This contributes to decreases in populations of the California hornsnail because these parasites can affect the snail at higher rates (Byers, 2000a, Torchin et al. 2005). These parasites have obligate multi-host life cycles, so that the loss of Cerithidea, which is a necessary host in their lifecycles, will result in the local loss of most of the parasite fauna as well. The most important mechanism for B. attramentaria’s gradual displacement of the native hornsnail (C. californica) where they are sympatric (Byers 2000a, Wasson et al. 2001) is B. attramentaria’s lower mortality rate compared to the native (Byers and Goldwasser 2001). Contributing to this lower mortaliy rate is the fact that the invader is not as susceptible to hypoxia as the native (Byers, 2000b).
Management Info
Physical: Hand removal is a method used to remove the invasive Batillaria attramentaria (TBI, 2006).
Countries (or multi-country features) with distribution records for Batillaria attramentaria
ALIEN RANGE
NATIVE RANGE
  • hong kong
  • japan
Informations on Batillaria attramentaria has been recorded for the following locations. Click on the name for additional informations.
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Location Status Invasiveness Occurrence Source
Details of Batillaria attramentaria in information
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Impact information
Batillaria attramentaria, since its arrival to North America, has reduced native biodiversity. It is known to have decreased populations of the California hornsnail (Cerithidea californica) (Byers, 1999). Batillaria attramentaria is a superior competitor for shared food resources (benthic diatoms) (Byers 2000a). Also there are many trematode parasites that infect the California hornsnail, but only one trematode species (itself a non-native species) that infects B. attramentaria (Torchin et al. 2005). This contributes to decreases in populations of the California hornsnail because these parasites can affect the snail at higher rates (Byers, 2000a, Torchin et al. 2005). These parasites have obligate multi-host life cycles, so that the loss of Cerithidea, which is a necessary host in their lifecycles, will result in the local loss of most of the parasite fauna as well. The most important mechanism for B. attramentaria’s gradual displacement of the native hornsnail (C. californica) where they are sympatric (Byers 2000a, Wasson et al. 2001) is B. attramentaria’s lower mortality rate compared to the native (Byers and Goldwasser 2001). Contributing to this lower mortaliy rate is the fact that the invader is not as susceptible to hypoxia as the native (Byers, 2000b).
Red List assessed species 0:
Management information
Physical: Hand removal is a method used to remove the invasive Batillaria attramentaria (TBI, 2006).
Locations
UNITED STATES
Management Category
Control
Bibliography
16 references found for Batillaria attramentaria

Management information
Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (CEFAS)., 2008. Decision support tools-Identifying potentially invasive non-native marine and freshwater species: fish, invertebrates, amphibians.
Summary: The electronic tool kits made available on the Cefas page for free download are Crown Copyright (2007-2008). As such, these are freeware and may be freely distributed provided this notice is retained. No warranty, expressed or implied, is made and users should satisfy themselves as to the applicability of the results in any given circumstance. Toolkits available include 1) FISK- Freshwater Fish Invasiveness Scoring Kit (English and Spanish language version); 2) MFISK- Marine Fish Invasiveness Scoring Kit; 3) MI-ISK- Marine invertebrate Invasiveness Scoring Kit; 4) FI-ISK- Freshwater Invertebrate Invasiveness Scoring Kit and AmphISK- Amphibian Invasiveness Scoring Kit. These tool kits were developed by Cefas, with new VisualBasic and computational programming by Lorenzo Vilizzi, David Cooper, Andy South and Gordon H. Copp, based on VisualBasic code in the original Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) tool kit of P.C. Pheloung, P.A. Williams & S.R. Halloy (1999).
The decision support tools are available from: http://cefas.defra.gov.uk/our-science/ecosystems-and-biodiversity/non-native-species/decision-support-tools.aspx [Accessed 13 October 2011]
The guidance document is available from http://www.cefas.co.uk/media/118009/fisk_guide_v2.pdf [Accessed 13 January 2009].
The Bay Institute (TBI). 2006. TBI helps tackle mud snail problem. Bayletter. p. 5.
Summary: This artilcle describes how B. attramentaria is a threat and how we can try and mangage this ivasive species.
Available from: http://www.bay.org/Pubs/2006vol2.pdf [Accessed March 13, 2007]
General information
Byers, J.E. 1999. The distribution of an introduced mollusc and its role in long-term demise of a native confamilial species. Biological Invasions. 1: 339-352.
Summary: This study shows the forseeable of exotic replacement of native species and argues that these invaders will become a problem even thoguh they seem harmless.
Byers, J.E. 2000. Competition between Two Estuarine Snails: Implications for Invasions of Exotic Species. Ecology. 81(5): 1225-1239.
Summary: This study was done to determine the resource use by an introduced and native organism. It will determine if the invader is more successful than the native.
Byers, J.E. 2000. Differential susceptibility to hypoxia aids estuarine invasion. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 203: 123-132.
Summary: This study shows how stress from microbial action affects the two snail species which helps explain the displacement of the native.
Available from: http://zoology.unh.edu/faculty/byers/PDF%20of%20papers/MEPS2000.pdf [Accessed March 13, 2007]
Byers, J. E. and L. Goldwasser. 2001. Exposing the mechanism and timing of impact of non-indigenous species on native species. Ecology 82(5): 1330-1343
Carlton, J.T. 1992. Introduced Marine and Estuary Mollusks of North America: An End-of-the-20th Century Perspective. Journal of Shellfish Research. 11(2): 489-505.
Summary: This article discusses how different bivalves found there way to the coasts of North America.
Available from: http://sgnis.org/publicat/papers/jsr11_2.pdf [Accessed March 13, 2007]
Cohen, A.N. 2004. An Exotic Species Detection Program for Puget Sound. National Estuary Program, U.S. Envrironmental Protection Agency. 1-60.
Summary: This report discusses what an exotic species detection plan is and how to classify species as invasive.
Available from: http://sfei.org/bioinvasions/Reports/2004-PugetSoundESDP380.pdf [Accessed March 13, 2007]
Gillespie, G.E., M. Parker, Merilees, W. 1999. Distribution, Abundance, Biology, and Fisheries Potential of the Exotic Varnish Clam (Nuttallia obscurata) in British Colombia. Fisheries and Oceans, Canada. 1-44.
Summary: This paper discusses the distribution of varnish clams and shows information on biology, ecology, and population dynamics.
Available from: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/csas/csas/DocREC/1999/PDF/99_193e.pdf [Accessed March 13, 2007]
ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System), 2006. Online Database Batillaria attramentaria.
Summary: An online database that provides taxonomic information, common names, synonyms and geographical jurisdiction of a species. In addition links are provided to retrieve biological records and collection information from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) Data Portal and Bioscience from BioOne journals.
Available from: http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=567272 [Accessed March 13, 2007]
Torchin, M., J. E. Byers, and T. Huspeni. 2005. Differential parasitism of native and introduced snails: replacement of a parasite fauna. Biological Invasions 7(6): 885-894.
Whitlatch, R. B. 1972. The ecological life history and feeding biology of Batillaria zonalis. Thesis. Department of Marine Sciences, University of the Pacific, Stockton, California, USA.
Whitlatch, R. B. 1974. Studies on the population ecology of the salt marsh gastropod Batillaria zonalis. Veliger 17:47�55.
Whitlatch, R.B., S. Obrebski, 1980. Feeding Selectivity and Coexistence in Two Deposit-Feeding Gastropods. Marine Biology. 58: 219-225.
Summary: This study was to determine if two gastropod species have the same diet.
Wonham, M.J., M. O Conner, C.D.G. Harley. 2005. Positive effects of a dominant invader on introduced and native mudflat species. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 289: 109-116.
Summary: Discusses how B. attramentaria has positive affects on other species where it was introduced.
Yamada, S.B. 1982. Growth and Longevity of the Mud Snail Batiilaria attramentaria.Marine Biology. 67: 187-192.
Summary: This article describes how B. attramentaria grows throughout its life.
Contact
The following 1 contacts offer information an advice on Batillaria attramentaria
Byers,
James (Jeb)
Webpage
Dr. Byers ecological research interests involve the study of species interactions in nearshore, estuarine, and marsh environments. The majority of his research focuses on quantitatively measuring impacts of non-indigenous species on native biota in invaded marine communities.
Some of his additional projects and interests include the study of: Modification of ecological interactions by parasites; Physical-biological coupling in estuaries; Design and function of marine reserves; Development of biological indicators for detection of environmental perturbations and Community-level effects of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning on aquatic systems.
Organization:
Associate Professor, Dept. of Zoology, University of New Hampshire
Address:
46 College Rd. Durham, NH 03824-2617
Phone:
(603) 862-0006
Fax:
Batillaria attramentaria
Japanese snail, Asian horn snail, Japanese false cerith, Asian estaurine mudsnail, Japanese mud snail
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Recommended citation
(2024). Batillaria attramentaria. IUCN Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT).