📸 PhotoPhoto: Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Chinese mystery snail
Margarya chinensis (Chinese mystery snail · コブタニシ属)
Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List yet.
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its shell height of 6 cm is slightly longer than two Korean 500-won coins (diameter about 2.65 cm) placed side by side (Comparison).
- 💡 It can be seen along farm ditches, reservoirs, rivers, and lake edges, and because it is used as a food resource, its export requires control (National List of Species of Korea).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
The Chinese mystery snail is a freshwater snail living in rice paddies and marshes along the edges of reservoirs, rivers, and lakes, and it can be seen throughout Korea.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Its shell is about 60 mm high and 30 mm in diameter, with 5 rounded whorls and a blackish-brown color. Females have straight tentacles while males have a curled right tentacle, allowing the sexes to be told apart.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It is a major component of marsh ecosystems in Korea. The National List of Species of Korea notes that its export should be controlled as a food resource.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
It is listed on the National List of Species of Korea under the name Gin-non-ureongi (Korean name) and occurs throughout the country.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List: not evaluated (NE) — cross-checked with the Wikidata conservation-status entry
- • catalogueoflife.org — VBZ7Z
- • 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000041931 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000041931
- • wikidata.org — Q6122947
- • species.nibr.go.kr — mainHome.do
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.