Effect of stock density of cultured Amazon Apple Snail Pomacea dolioides (Gastropoda: Ampullariidae) in Brazil

Abstract

This study evaluated the biomass gain, specific growth rate, absolute weight gain, and survival rate of the gastropod Pomacea dolioides cultivated in different stocking densities. To perform the experiment, samples were collected in March and June 2015. A total of 40 adult specimens were collected in the Jauary neighborhood (03°08'19.9"S, 58°27'32.5"W), municipality of Itacoatiara, AM, Brazil. They were kept in the laboratory for breeding to obtain the young P. dolioides, which were distributed into tanks containing 4 L of water and an aeration system, in three densities: 2.5 animals/L, 5 animals/L, and 10 animals/L, and were fed fish ration (34% gross protein). The specimens were measured for shell length and weight every fifteen days. The survival rate did not differ between treatments 2.5 and 5 animals/L (100%) and 10 animals/L (95.83%). The density with the best cultivation results was 2.5 animals/L, being most effective for the parameters of growth, weight gain, specific growth rate, and percentage weight gain, when compared with the other treatments after 225 days of the experiment. For future cultivation of this species, a density of 2.5 animals/L should be used to improve handling performance.

The edible apple snail [Pomacea dolioides (Reeve, 1856)]; meat yield and sensorial evaluation

“…Gastropod meat has been widely studied as an alternative source of protein for human consumption, and its acceptability is influenced by culture, nature, and environment (Afetsu and Kumah, 2016). Regarding P. dolioides (Reeve, 1856), studies have been conducted on its cultivation (Pires-Júnior et al, 2019), effect of the dry season on the populations, species reproductive biology including the occurrence of "imposex", fecundity, and selection of substrate for oviposition, histology, and histochemistry of the male reproductive tract (Sant'Anna and Hattory, 2017). However, no studies have been conducted on the edible portion of P. dolioides, an abundant gastropod in the Amazon region, that can be used as a food source for underprivileged populations.…”