Pila is a genus of large freshwater snails with an operculum, African and Asian apple snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Ampullariidae, the apple snails.

Distribution

Distribution of the genus Pila include Africa, Madagascar, southern Asia and Indo-Pacific islands. It is amphibious in nature and can undergo summer sleep or aestivation under drought condition. It is generally found in lakes, pools, and sometimes even in the river streams where aquatic vegetation like Vallisneria, Pistia are found in large amount for food.

External Features

When viewed from ventral side facing the collumella towards the observer, the collumella rotates clockwise or Dextral.

Species

Species within the genus Pila include: subgenus Pila subgenus Turbinicola Annandale & Prashad, 1921

Ecology

Pila species are a host of a trematode Multicotyle purvisi.

Human use

The shells of Pila are used in traditional ethnomedicine for weakness by Saharia people in Rajasthan, India. Pila ampullacea and Pila pesmei are some of the rice field snail species traditionally eaten in Thailand that have been displaced by the invasive golden apple snail, Pomacea canaliculata.