First Records of the Invasive New Zealand Mudsnail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) in the Potomac River Basin

Sean M. Hartzell^1,* and John R. Frederick²

¹Pennsyvlania Fish and Boat Commission, Division of Environmental Services, 595 East Rolling Ridge Drive, Bellefonte, PA 16823. ²Pennsyvlania Fish and Boat Commission, Division of Fisheries Management, 195 Lebo Road, Carlisle, PA 17015. *Corresponding author.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 30, Issue 1 (2023): N13–N16

Abstract
The distribution of invasive Potamopyrgus antipodarum (New Zealand Mudsnail [NZM]) is relatively limited in eastern North America, with populations known in the Great Lakes basin and scattered locations in several Atlantic Slope drainages. Herein, we report the first documented occurrence of NZM in the Potomac River basin, based on collections at 2 adjacent sites in Falling Spring Branch, Franklin County, PA. We speculate the species was introduced into Falling Spring Branch via fishing gear from Susquehanna River basin tributaries in adjacent Cumberland County where there are documented NZM populations.

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