Effects of invasive species snails in continental aquatic bodies of Pernambucano semiarid

Abstract Aim The aim of this study was to survey the species of molluscs and to evaluate the effect of exotic species on the native mollusks of three reservoirs in the Pajeú Basin Cachoeira II, Jazigo and Serrinha. Methods Sampling was carried out with trawl net (5 mm mesh opening) and hand net (2 mm mesh opening). Results and conclusions Were quantified 60,244 specimens, distributed among the species Melanoides tuberculata (49,398), Pomacea lineata (573), Biomphalaria straminea (376) and Physa marmorata (01). The invasive exotic species M. tuberculata was dominant in all reservoirs with a relative abundance greater than 85% and the other species were classified as occasional and rare, with emphasis in Physa marmorata that is present in the red list of species vulnerable to extinction. Regarding the frequency of occurrence, all species were classified as euconstant (occurrence greater than 65%), except P. lineata and P. marmorata, which were classified as ancillary (occurrence less than 40%). Among the species, M. tuberculata were the highest average density (1,636 ind.m-2) in Serrinha reservoir, showed a strong adaptation to the environmental conditions, due to its high dominance in all the reservoirs, being probably the main cause for the low diversity and density indices of native molluscs. Since P. marmorata presented low density and frequency, becoming an important point to be investigated as possible species impaired by the dominance of M. tuberculata.