Common corncockle vs common Indian apple snail

Agrostemma githago compared with Pila globosa

Key Differences

• Common corncockle is Critically Endangered while common Indian apple snail is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common corncockle	common Indian apple snail
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Mollusca (Mollusks)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)
Order	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)	Architaenioglossa (Architaenioglossa)
Family	Caryophyllaceae	Ampullariidae
Genus	Agrostemma	Pila
Species	Agrostemma githago	Pila globosa

Conservation Status

Common corncockle

CR — Critically Endangered

common Indian apple snail

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common corncockle	common Indian apple snail
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common corncockle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including montane grasslands and shrublands, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, and temperate coniferous forests, among 13 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Lesotho), Asia (7 countries), Europe (24 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Brazil, Chile). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

common Indian apple snail

Habitat

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

Common corncockle

<em>Agrostemma githago</em>, commonly known as common corncockle, is an annual flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. Once a widespread weed of cereal crops across Europe, Asia, and beyond, this species is now Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to the dramatic decline caused by modern agricultural practices, particularly improved grain cleaning and herbicide use. Corncockle is a tall, slender plant covered in silky white hairs, bearing large, solitary pink to purple flowers with distinctive dark veining. Its seeds contain toxic saponin compounds called githagins, which historically contaminated grain supplies. The species now survives primarily in wildflower conservation areas, seed banks, and traditional farmland conservation schemes. It typically grows in open, disturbed arable soils with full sun exposure. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

common Indian apple snail

<em>Pila globosa</em>, commonly known as the common Indian apple snail, is a freshwater gastropod mollusk in the family Ampullariidae. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The species is noted to occupy both terrestrial and aquatic habitats, reflecting the amphibious life history typical of apple snails, which can survive periods of drought by aestivating in moist soil. Apple snails in this family are generally found in tropical and subtropical freshwater ecosystems, including ponds, rice paddies, rivers, and marshes. Specific country-level distribution data are not detailed in current records. Diet information for this species is not available in current records. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.