Apple Snail vs Coastal Ragweed

Pomacea glauca compared with Ambrosia hispida

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Apple Snail	Coastal Ragweed
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Architaenioglossa (Architaenioglossa)	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)
Family	Ampullariidae	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)
Genus	Pomacea	Ambrosia
Species	Pomacea glauca	Ambrosia hispida

Conservation Status

Apple Snail

LC — Least Concern

Coastal Ragweed

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Apple Snail	Coastal Ragweed
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Apple Snail

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, among 4 distinct biome types within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Dominican Republic, Norway, and Venezuela.

Coastal Ragweed

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found in Cuba.

Apple Snail

The Apple Snail (Pomacea glauca) is a species in the genus Pomacea. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, among 4 distinct biome types within the Neotrop.

Coastal Ragweed

Coastal ragweed (Ambrosia hispida) is a perennial herb in the family Asteraceae, native to the coastal dunes, sandy beaches, and cays of Cuba, the Bahamas, and the wider Caribbean region. It grows in pioneer beach and dune vegetation, often forming spreading colonies that help stabilise loose coastal sands. Like other members of the genus Ambrosia, it bears inconspicuous greenish-white flowers arranged in racemes; male flower heads produce wind-dispersed pollen that can trigger allergic rhinitis in sensitive individuals. The deeply lobed, hispid leaves are adapted to reflect intense solar radiation and tolerate salt spray. Coastal ragweed plays an ecological role in early dune succession, binding sand and enabling other plant species to establish. The genus is widespread globally, with several Ambrosia species considered noxious weeds in agricultural settings, though Ambrosia hispida is restricted to its native Caribbean coastal range. The IUCN assesses it as Least Concern, reflecting adequate population size across its Caribbean coastal distribution. Pressure from coastal development and tourism infrastructure poses a localised threat to dune communities it inhabits.