Quilted Melania (Tarebia granifera) Breeding Guide

Tarebia granifera is a parthenogenetic livebearer carrying up to 77 embryos in a brood pouch and releasing one juvenile every 12 hours, making it highly invasive where introduced.

Overview

Tarebia granifera, the quilted melania, is a trumpet-shaped burrowing snail of the family Thiaridae, similar to the Malaysian trumpet snail but with a textured shell. It actively buries itself in sediments, with half or more of individuals typically buried, and feeds on algae, diatoms and detritus.

Sexing

Reproduction is parthenogenetic, so females produce young without fertilization and males are rare. In some populations no males were found among hundreds of dissected specimens, and where present males reached only about 4.6 percent and had apparently non-functional genitalia, so a single female can found a colony.

Egg-laying / Reproduction

The species is ovoviviparous, carrying 1 to 77 embryos in a specialized brood pouch above the esophagus that expands as embryo numbers grow. Females can give birth to one juvenile every 12 hours, and reproductive maturity is reached at roughly 8 to 10 mm shell height, around five months of age.

Juvenile Care

Juveniles are born live at 0.7 to 2.1 mm shell height and immediately burrow to feed, requiring no special care. The continuous release of young allows densities up to about 21,000 per square metre.

Common Challenges

High fecundity combined with parthenogenesis makes this snail highly invasive; it colonizes diverse habitats and can displace native gastropods such as Biomphalaria glabrata on Caribbean islands. Surplus snails must never be released, and limiting excess food helps control numbers in an aquarium.