Damage caused by white snail Cernuella virgata (Da Costa) to green onion crop

Abstract

SuMMARYDamage caused by the white snail Cernuella virgata (Da Costa, 1778) was for the first time observed in vegetable crops in Serbia during the summers of 2011 and 2012. In this country, serious damage to vegetable crops is usually caused by slugs, while snails do not normally cause any significant harm. Typical xerophilic snail species in the genera Cernuella, Xerolenta and Theba cause damage even more rarely since they are limited to wild flora in uncultivated and ruderal areas, and local outbreaks occur seldom and only in forage leguminous crops. The species C. virgata was for the first time found to cause damage to a number of vegetable crops during long periods of extremely warm and dry weather, including total devastation of a green onion crop.

Contrasting effects of climate change on the European and global potential distributions of two Mediterranean helicoid terrestrial gastropods

“…Also, a greater susceptibility to overheating has been detected in adults than in juveniles, which is associated with high energy losses during reproduction. These features may enable C. virgata to be active during long periods of extremely warm and dry weather (Stojnić et al 2013). This further suggests that global warming resulting from climate change is likely to facilitate invasion of C. virgata into new regions of the world.…”

“…There are many reports of C. virgata unintentionally incorporated into shipments of plant materials in international trading, and exported grain shipments have been rejected due to snail contamination (Michalak 2010;Mienis and Vaisman 2010;MOA, AQSIQ 2012). Over a period of 25 years, this snail was discovered in 455 shipments of crops belonging to 21 plant genera originating from 16 countries (Stojnić et al 2013). Similarly, the human introduction of H. cinctella seems to be the most important method of spreading by ship, car, or train transport with plants, soil, or building material (Comfort 1950;Preece 2005;Beckmann and Kobialka 2008;Říhová and Juřičková 2011).…”

“…C. virgata lives in dry habitats, in sandy dunes and on calcareous substrate, on and under herbal plants, frequently in coastal regions, whereas H. cinctella inhabits open areas, among low shrubs and herbs, often at small water currents or in river valleys (Welter-Schultes 2012). Additionally, due to the remarkable adaptability of C. virgata, it tolerates cultivation field habitats and has become an invasive species and a serious agricultural pest in some parts of Europe, Australia, the USA, Japan, and Chile (Godan 1983;Baker 2002;Barker 2004;Cowie et al 2009;Stojnić et al 2013). Therefore, it became one of the most important quarantined terrestrial molluscs in America and China (USDA 2008;MOA, AQSIQ 2012).…”