Florida Entomologist (2017) 100, 698-703

Katrina Leah Dickens, John L. Capinera and Trevor Randall Smith (2017)
Suitability of selected ornamental plants for growth and survival of Lissachatina fulica (Gastropoda: Achatinidae)
Florida Entomologist 100 (4), 698-703
Abstract: Lissachatina fulica (Bowdich, 1822) (Gastropoda: Achatinidae), also known as the giant African land snail, is a plant pest throughout much of the world, including southern Florida, where an established population of this snail was discovered in 2011. Apart from reports that it is polyphagous, food preferences and suitability are not well known. The suitability of 21 ornamental plants commonly grown in Miami, Florida, was tested using snail growth (snail shell height and snail mass) and survival. After hatching, 50 snails were reared for 70 d on each of 24 dietary treatments (21 natural diets and 3 control diets). French marigold (Tagetes patula [Asteraceae]) was the ornamental plant diet that produced the largest snails (24 mm in shell height), producing snails equivalent in size to 2 of the control diets: romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa [Asteraceae]) and synthetic insect diet (gypsy moth). Plants allowing intermediate growth (> 10 mm) were cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus [Asteraceae]), salvia (Salvia splendens [Lamiaceae]), petra croton (Codiaeum variegatum [Euphorbiaceae]), zinnia (Zinnia elegans [Asteraceae]), Texas sage (Leucophyllum frutescens [Scrophulariaceae]), beach sunflower (Helianthus debilis [Asteraceae]), lantana (Lantana camara [Verbenaceae]), kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana [Crassulaceae]), and butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa [Apocynaceae]). There was a strong positive correlation between survival and plant suitability, as judged by shell height (r = 0.89). However, some plants tested, such as purslane (Portulaca oleracea [Portulacaceae]), sunflower (Helianthus annuus [Asteraceae]), dusty miller (Centaurea cineraria [Asteraceae]), and oyster plant (Tradescantia spathacea [Commelinaceae]) only provided minimal growth (< 10 mm) but may be able to sustain snails until they can find better quality food. Overall, annual plants tended to be more suitable than perennial plants for snail growth and survival (P < 0.01). This information can be used to identify which ornamental plants support snail growth and survival, where snails can likely be found on infested properties, and which plants might be at greatest risk for feeding damage.
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Database assignments for author(s): John L. Capinera

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Lissachatina fulica	Lettuce (Lactuca)	U.S.A. (SE)
	Lissachatina fulica	Cosmos (crop)	U.S.A. (SE)
	Lissachatina fulica	Tagetes (crop)	U.S.A. (SE)