Pomacea is a genus of freshwater snails with gills and an operculum, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails.
Some species have been introduced outside their native range and are considered invasive because of their voracious appetite for plants.
[3] Species in the genus Pomacea include: subgenus Effusa Jousseaume, 1889 subgenus Pomacea Perry, 1810 Because of the potential to destroy aquatic and marsh vegetation in the wild, the European Union has banned all imports of snails from the family Ampullariidae, which includes the genus Pomacea.
[3] Similarly, the United States prohibits all members of Ampullariidae except one from being imported or transported interstate, except with a permit for the purposes of research.
The sole exception to this is Pomacea diffusa (formerly P. bridgesii) as it is not known to be an agricultural pest.