An invasive aquatic snail species has been found near Grand Rapids, marking the first time the New Zealand mudsnail has been found in Southern Lower Michigan.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources made that report on Monday, providing photos and a description of the New Zealand mudsnail. The tiny snail was first detected in Michigan in 2015 and was previously found in Au Sable, Boardman, Grass, Pere Marquette, Pine and Upper Manistee rivers in Northern Michigan.
It’s now known to be in Bear Creek, which is a tributary of the Thornapple River in Kent County, southeast of Grand Rapids. This location is about 75 miles south of the nearest confirmed infestation in the Pere Marquette River. The DNR said biologists from the Michigan Invasive Species Program are investigating the circumstances of the prohibited species appearing in a new location and will conduct additional sampling along Thornapple River tributaries in Barry, Kent and Ionia counties…