STUDY ON THE SPECIES COMPOSITION AND HABITATS OF FRESHWATER SNAIL IN THE LITTORAL ZONE OF POYANG LAKE

To study the species diversity and habitat distribution of the gastropods, we collected the freshwater snail samples from 62 sites in the littoral zone of Poyang Lake in May and June of 2011, and investigated the characteristics of their habitats. Nineteen freshwater snails species were identified, which were categorized into viviparidae (8 species), Hydrobiidae (8 species), Lymnaeidae (2 species) and Melaniidae (1 species). Compared to the previously reported data the number of taxa showed a sharp decline. Similar to the previous reports, viviparidae and Hydrobiidae were still the dominant species in the community. There were remarkable differences in species composition between mud and other habitats. The species richness of freshwater snails showed significant difference between mud and macrophyte. The differences were also presented between mud and sandy soil, and between mud and stone (P0.05). These indicated that snails had a perching preference in selecting their habitats. Finally, we discussed the factors that potentially influence species diversity and habitat distribution of freshwater snails.