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Population estimate of Chinese mystery snail (Bellamya chinensis) in a Nebraska reservoir

October 8, 2012

The Chinese mystery snail (Bellamya chinensis) is an aquatic invasive species in North America. Little is known regarding this species’ impacts on freshwater ecosystems. It is believed that population densities can be high, yet no population estimates have been reported. We utilized a mark-recapture approach to generate a population estimate for Chinese mystery snail in Wild Plum Lake, a 6.47-ha reservoir in southeast Nebraska. We calculated, using bias-adjusted Lincoln-Petersen estimation, that there were approximately 664 adult snails within a 127 m2 transect (5.2 snails/m2). If this density was consistent throughout the littoral zone (

Publication Year 2012
Title Population estimate of Chinese mystery snail (Bellamya chinensis) in a Nebraska reservoir
DOI 10.3391/bir.2012.1.4.07
Authors Noelle Chaine, Craig Allen, Kent Fricke, Danielle Haak, Michelle L. Hellman, Robert Kill, Kristine Nemec, Kevin Pope, Nicholas Smeenk, Bruce J. Stephen, Daniel Uden, Kody Unstad, Ashley VanderHam
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title BioInvasions Records
Index ID 70039959
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
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