Haloa japonica

Haloa japonica, common name the Japanese bubble snail, is a species of sea snail or bubble snail, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusc in the family Haminoeidae, one of the families of bubble snails.

Distribution

The species is found in the Pacific Ocean, Mediterranean and North Sea:

• Japan
• Korea
• Hong Kong
• The Philippines
• Thailand
• Mediterranean Sea including Sète and Étang de Berre, France
• California and Washington, USA
• Southern British Columbia, Canada
• Taiwan
• Netherlands (incl. Zeeland)

Description

Their shells have length around 11 mm and width around 8 mm.

Parasites

The parasites of Haloa japonica include an avian schistosome, which has been implicated in human cercarial dermatitis in San Francisco Bay, California.

References

Further reading

• Gosliner T. M. & Behrens D. W. (2006). "Anatomy of an invasion: systematics and distribution of the introduced opisthobranch snail, Haminoea japonica Pilsbry, 1895 (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia: Haminoeidae)". Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences 57: 1003–1010.
• Hanson D., Cooke S., Hirano Y., Malaquias M.A. E., Crocetta F. & Valdés Á. (2013) "Slipping through the Cracks: The Taxonomic Impediment Conceals the Origin and Dispersal of Haminoea japonica, an Invasive Species with Impacts to Human Health". PLoS ONE 8(10): e77457.