The flesh of apple snails is lighter in color, mostly yellow-white, while the flesh of field snails is mostly green-brown.

Pomacea canaliculata (scientific name: Pomacea canaliculata) is a mollusk in the family Pomaceae and the genus Pomacea. The shells look similar to snails. It has a spiral shell, the color of which varies with the environment and the age of the snail. It is shiny and has several thin vertical stripes. When crawling, the head and abdominal feet extend out. There are 2 pairs of antennae on the head, the front antennae are short and the rear antennae are long. There is an eye on the outside of the base of the rear antennae. There is a thick lung suction tube on the left side of the snail body. The adult shell is thick, with a shell height of 7 cm, and the young shell is thin. The suture line of the shell sinks into a shallow groove, and the umbilicus is deep and wide.

Phoenix snails like to live in fresh water with fresh water and sufficient food. Many groups inhabit the shallow water areas near the pool. It is an omnivorous snail with a wide feeding habit. It mainly feeds on plant-based food. It mainly feeds on duckweed, vegetables, fruits, etc. It especially likes to eat sweet food and also likes to eat carrion of animals in the water. It is native to tropical and subtropical areas of Central America, such as Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Widely distributed in more than ten countries including North America, Asia, and Africa, it has become a worldwide alien invasive organism.

The State Environmental Protection Administration of China lists the apple snail as one of the major dangerous invasive alien organisms in agriculture.