Habitat and Distribution

The apple snail, Pila globosa, is a freshwater mollusk that can also live in brackish water environments with low salinity. They are amphibious and can live on land and in water. The detail description of its habitat and distribution is as follows:

• Habit and Habitat: It is commonly found in low-salinity environments such as rivers, pools, ponds, tanks, streams, lakes, marshes, rice fields, ditches, irrigation canals, wetlands, and brackish water. It prefers clean, shallow waters. They are found in such areas which harbor succulent aquatic plants.
• Distribution: They are found in the Oriental (India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia) and Ethiopian (Africa, Madagascar, and Arabia) areas. It is found in Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, Meghalaya, and Kerala.
• Pila Globosa is a voracious eater, so it feeds upon plant scrapping, which it cuts with the help of its chitinous jaws and regular teeth.
• They prefer clean water containing aquatic plants such as Pistia, Vallisnerria, etc. Herbivorous, amphibious being adapted for life in water and on land.
• The animal moves in the same way that planarians glide. During the rainy season, Pila emerges from the ponds and travels on land to breathe fresh air.
• Speed: It creeps very slowly by the muscular foot ( 5 cm/Min) and during movement it does not leave the shell but carries it on back.
• Adapted to an amphibious mode of life:
  • Pulmonary sac (for aerial adaptation)
  • Gill or Ctenidium (for aquatic respiration)
• Creeps with ventral muscular foot called “snail pace”. If the surface is dry for movement it secretes slime.
• When in danger it immediately shuts the aperture with the operculum or lid attached to its foot.
• Summer sleep or aestivation: Snails can tide over a long period of drought by remaining in inactive mode with the shell aperture tightly closed, it is called summer sleep or aestivation.

Pila globosa, also known as the Indian apple snail, is a species of freshwater snail that belongs to the Ampullariidae family. It is a large freshwater mollusk that can be found in ponds, lakes, and streams. The snail is known for its importance in nutrient cycling in aquatic ecosystems, although it can become invasive in non-native areas, posing a threat to local flora and fauna. Additionally, Pila globosa exhibits unique behaviors, such as aerial respiration and a tendency to lay pink-colored egg clutches above the waterline.