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Freshwater Snail Inventory at Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River
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Freshwater Snail Inventory at Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River

Emma Guelzow, Tanya Dapkey and Jeff Smith
2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3886/e255934v1
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https://doi.org/10.3886/e255934View
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Abstract

Abundance Coldwater Diversity Freshwater Snail Habitat Suitability IMD inventory natural environment species richness Upper Delaware Environmental Monitoring
The Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River (UPDE) unit of the National Park Service partnered with the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (ANS) to perform a freshwater snail inventory within the park. ANS and UPDE teams conducted field research in July and August of 2022 and 2023 using a combination of kick sampling and hand-picking methods to determine the abundance and diversity of freshwater snail populations. Fifty-four sites were chosen along the ~70 miles of the Delaware River within UPDE and included coldwater and warmwater fisheries zones. In 2022, field collections occurred at 30 sites along the river edge from Hancock, NY to the No. 2 railroad bridge near Mill Rift, PA. In 2023, field work occurred at 24 sites in more disturbed areas like river access points and boat launches, and within habitats that were not sampled in 2022 (i.e., backwater, channels, and islands). Snails were identified using traditional morphological taxonomy and DNA barcoding of the CO1 (Cytochrome c oxidase I) gene. Additional environmental DNA (eDNA) was analyzed from water collected at ten eDNA Atlas Sites. This study identified 27 taxa of snails, one of which is a non-native species, the Japanese Mystery Snail (Cipangopaludina japonica). A better understanding of the snail community and the ecosystem has been gained with the results of this inventory which will inform effective and responsible river management plans.Citation: Guelzow EL and Others. Freshwater Snail Inventory at Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River. 2022-2023. National Park ServiceLeads: Emma Guelzow (Academy of Natural Sciences); Tanya Dapkey (Academy of Natural Sciences); Jeff Smith (Academy of Natural Sciences)Stewards: NPS Inventory ProgramSponsors: NPS Inventory and Monitoring DivisionPublisher: National Park ServiceNotes: Publication of the report is pending as of 5/20/2025.

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