#4651 · 🐌 snails, slugs & other molluscs

Japanese Bubble Snail

🇳🇱 Japanse zeepbelslak ·Haloa japonica

🐌 Snails, slugs & other molluscs 📍 in the Netherlands (introduced)

10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences

1. © Glenn Biscop · CC BY-NC 4.0
2. © smithsonian_marinegeo · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
3. © Krissa Klein · CC BY-NC 4.0
4. © Robin Gwen Agarwal · CC BY-NC 4.0
5. © Frédéric ANDRE · CC BY-NC 4.0
6. duikstek Dreischor gemaal, Dreischor, Nederland:© Lynn Biscop · CC BY-NC 4.0
7. Veerse Meer, Zeeland, NL:© daniellegeschiere · CC BY-NC 4.0
8. 3253 Ouddorp, Netherlands:© Max Willems · CC BY-NC 4.0
9. duikstek Dreischor gemaal, Dreischor, Nederland:© Lynn Biscop · CC BY-NC 4.0
10. Zeeuwse meren, 158_13_400, NL:© Frédéric ANDRE · CC BY-NC 4.0

what is it?

Haloa japonica , common name the Japanese bubble snail , is a species of sea snail or bubble snail, a marine opisthobranch gastropod mollusc in the family Haminoeidae, one of the families of bubble snails.

base stats

NL sightings 32iNaturalist, research grade
worldwide 899iNaturalist observations

Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).

fun facts

Spotted 32 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist.
899 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
Not originally Dutch: it was introduced to the Netherlands.

fact sheet

English: Japanese Bubble Snail
Nederlands: Japanse zeepbelslak
scientific name: Haloa japonica
class: Gastropoda
order: Cephalaspidea
family: Haminoeidae
in NL: introduced
sightings in NL: 32
sightings in Europe: 192
sightings worldwide: 899
GBIF records in NL: 254
weight: —
length: —
lifespan: —

Sources: iNaturalist taxon 437826, Wikidata Q106226150, GBIF 6126571, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.