channeled apple snail; golden apple snail
Refers specifically to the invasive freshwater snail Pomacea canaliculata, known as a pest in rice paddies.
The channeled apple snail is an invasive species that damages rice plants in paddies.
There are many channeled apple snails in the irrigation canals around here.
Kanji spelling is rare and mainly used in taxonomic contexts; the word is usually written in kana.
Hiragana spelling is also used, though katakana is more common for this organism.
The Japanese name スクミリンゴガイ (竦林檎貝) literally means 'cowering apple snail', likely from the snail's habit of retracting into its shell. The exact origin of the name is uncertain.