Two snail species sighted in S'pore first time in Asia

Likely introduced via horticultural trade, they may pose risk to wildlife, human health

- Angelica Ang

Two snail species — the Cuban brown snail and Beck's awlsnail — have been spotted in Singapore for the first time.

This also marks their first sighting in Asia, reports by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum said on Feb 28.

Prior to their discovery here, the Cuban brown snail (Zachrysia provisoria) and Beck's awlsnail (Beckianum beckianum) had been documented in various locations in Central and South America, Hawaii and the Caribbean.

The reports on the snails, seen in November 2024 at Gardens by the Bay, were authored by Mr Chan Sow-Yan and Mr Lau Wing Lup.

The two nature enthusiasts are regular contributors to the museum's journal, Nature in Singapore, where new biodiversity sightings in the Republic are documented.

Mr Lau, who works as a care manager in a home for the elderly, told The Straits Times that he found live specimens of the two snails after extensive searches and multiple visits to the Gardens.