Brook Floater vs Common Apple Snail

Alasmidonta varicosa compared with Pomacea bridgesii

Key Differences

• Brook Floater is Vulnerable while Common Apple Snail is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brook Floater	Common Apple Snail
Kingdom same	Animalia (حيوانات)	Animalia (حيوانات)
Phylum same	Mollusca (رخويات)	Mollusca (رخويات)
Class	Bivalvia (ذوات الصدفتين)	Gastropoda (بطنيات القدم)
Order	Unionida (محاريات نهرية)	Architaenioglossa (Architaenioglossa)
Family	Unionidae	Ampullariidae
Genus	Alasmidonta	Pomacea
Species	Alasmidonta varicosa	Pomacea bridgesii

Evolutionary Relationship

Brook Floater and Common Apple Snail share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Mollusca. (رخويات)

Conservation Status

Brook Floater

VU — Vulnerable

Common Apple Snail

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brook Floater	Common Apple Snail
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Brook Floater

Habitat

Native to North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in United States. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Apple Snail

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and mangrove forests and coastal wetlands within the Indomalayan biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Israel, Taiwan, Vietnam), Europe (Austria), North America (United States), and South America (Chile, Venezuela).

Brook Floater

The Brook Floater (Alasmidonta varicosa) is a species in the genus Alasmidonta. It is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Native to North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Common Apple Snail

<em>Pomacea bridgesii</em>, commonly known as the Common Apple Snail or Spike-topped Apple Snail, is a freshwater gastropod mollusk in the family Ampullariidae. This species is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and has an extensive global distribution spanning Asia, Europe, North America, and South America, largely due to its popularity in the aquarium trade and subsequent introductions. In its native South American range, Common Apple Snails typically inhabit tropical and subtropical freshwater environments including rivers, lakes, marshes, and flooded forests such as mangroves. They are known for their distinctly globular shell and their ability to breathe both air and water using a combination of a gill and a primitive lung-like structure. This species typically lays distinctive pink egg clutches above the waterline on emergent vegetation or hard surfaces. It feeds primarily on aquatic vegetation, algae, and detritus. Its average lifespan is approximately 3 years under favorable conditions.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇺🇸 United States