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They were attached to a tree in a black-water inundated forest (igapó) near Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. The photo was taken in mid June, the water level was already high, and the eggs were about one metre above the water (not sure if they had been or would be under water at some point). It's been many years now, but I think the whole group was about 5 to 10 cm long (about 2–4 inches).

Eggs

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That's an apple snail egg cluster. They're freshwater snails, and by placing their egg clutches above the water line they protect them from predation.

We actually have an issue with apple snails in Florida, because while the Florida applesnail Pomacea paludosa is native, three different invasive species have been introduced that are eating through native vegetation without many predators (1).

Different species produce different colors of egg mass, and a good example of the green egg masses includes Pomacea haustrum, the titan applesnail, which is present in the continental US, but actually native to Bolivia, Brazil and Peru (2, 3). Since other species also produce green eggs, it's difficult to tell exactly what snail produced those, however.

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  • $\begingroup$ Could you provide more support/info for this answer? Thanks $\endgroup$
    – theforestecologist ♦
    Commented Jul 22, 2018 at 16:15
  • $\begingroup$ @theforestecologist what sort of information would make this answer more helpful? I will add a couple neat facts, but those eggs are very distinct. $\endgroup$
    – CKM
    Commented Jul 22, 2018 at 16:55
  • $\begingroup$ What characteristics should the OP or others be looking for for a positive ID? (in other words, how did you know they were distinctly apple snail eggs)? Also discussing their range and other interesting facts is always nice :). A picture is helpful for people visiting this post in the future, as well. $\endgroup$
    – theforestecologist ♦
    Commented Jul 22, 2018 at 17:05
  • $\begingroup$ Thanks for the answer. So it's most probably an Ampullariidae, though it will be harder to know the genus for sure, since it could be native, introduced, or even something new... $\endgroup$
    – Rodrigo
    Commented Jul 23, 2018 at 13:42
  • $\begingroup$ @Rodrigo I'm no expert, but many apple snails are native to S. America. The only catch is many species that may be native may also produce green eggs. $\endgroup$
    – CKM
    Commented Jul 23, 2018 at 18:53

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