>Two people gave me an i.d. for my fresh water snail = Viviparus
georgianus.  Thanks Kevin and the person whose e-mail I accidentally
cancelled.  Though I failed to get your image, Kevin, I found a
photograph on the internet after I had the name.  This is definitely
the right i.d.
>
>Interestingly, the finding of this species in Southern Michigan seems
to be a introduction from Florida and some adjacent areas.  How many
times have we seen introduction of species, but many from foreign
areas, with no natural enemies.  I hope my snail does not fall into the
"dangerous" category.

The European Viviparus viviparus is very similar to georgianus.  I
don't know if anyone has proved that the introduced populations in
northern North America are georgianus versus viviparus.

Since close relatives already occur in the area, the main risks are
parasites and possible competition with native species, in contrast to
the wholesale disruption that can occur when a novel type of organism
becomes established (e.g., zebra mussels or humans).



----------------------------------------
Dr. David Campbell
425 Scientific Collections
University of Alabama, Box 870345
Tuscaloosa AL 35487
"James gave the huffle of a snail in
danger But no one heard him at all"  A.
A. Milne

----------------------------------------------------------------------
[log in to unmask] - a forum for informal discussions on molluscs
To leave this list, click on the following web link:
http://listserv.uga.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=conch-l&A=1
Type your email address and name in the appropriate box and
click leave the list.
----------------------------------------------------------------------