Common Apple Snail vs common grey sea slug

Pomacea bridgesii compared with Aeolidia papillosa

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Apple Snail	common grey sea slug
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Mollusca (Mollusks)
Class same	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)
Order	Architaenioglossa (Architaenioglossa)	Nudibranchia (Nudibranchia)
Family	Ampullariidae	Aeolidiidae
Genus	Pomacea	Aeolidia
Species	Pomacea bridgesii	Aeolidia papillosa

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Apple Snail and common grey sea slug share a common ancestor at the Class level: Gastropoda. (Gastropoda)

Conservation Status

Common Apple Snail

LC — Least Concern

common grey sea slug

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Apple Snail	common grey sea slug
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic 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).

common grey sea slug

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Chile, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

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.

common grey sea slug

<em>Aeolidia papillosa</em>, commonly known as the common grey sea slug, is a nudibranch mollusc belonging to the genus Aeolidia within the family Aeolidiidae. Despite the species name referencing terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater, <em>Aeolidia papillosa</em> is primarily a marine organism. Its range includes Belgium, Chile, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, indicating a distribution across the North Atlantic and into South American waters. Common grey sea slug is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The species is typically found in intertidal and subtidal zones, where it preys on sea anemones and stores stinging cells from its prey in its dorsal cerata for defense. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇨🇱 Chile