Freshwater snails of Oman,South Eastern Arabia

A systematic account is given of the extant freshwater snail fauna of Oman, based on recent collections made in Dhofar and in the northern mountainous areas. Also included are certain species found in brackish coastal localities. A total of 8 freshwater species is regarded as belonging to the fauna of normal freshwater; 7 have been found alive (Thiara scabra, Melanoides tuberculata, Lymnaea natalensis, Gyraulus piscinarum, Biomphalaria arabica, Bulinus wrighti and Indoplanorbis exustus) and one is known only as shells (Paludestrina glaucovirens). This report of G. piscinarum is the first for Oman and may be the first reliable identification for Arabia. Three taxa from brackish water, Gangetia miliacea, Iravadia quadrasi and Melanoides sp., are new for the fauna of Oman and of the whole Arabian peninsula. The finding of G. miliacea provides the first instance of any member of the Stenothyridae living west of the Gulf of Oman and identified from whole snails rather than empty shells. I. quadrasi is the first member of its genus to be found alive west of the Gulf of Oman.     

Vertical migrations in two hygrophilous species of micro‐snails in relation to time of the year and habitat type

The aim of this study was to investigate vertical migration behaviors in two species of hygrophilous micro‐snails, Vertigo moulinsiana and Vertigo angustior, in relation to the time of the year (spring and summer) at two sites that differ in ground water level (periodically inundated site and non‐inundated site). The study shows different patterns of vertical migrations in the studied species. Vertigo angustior demonstrated a strong affinity to the litter layer (a weak tendency for vertical movements), independent of the time of year and site studied. By contrast, V. moulinsiana showed a clear tendency for vertical migrations, which differed depending on the time of year and site. These differences may be related to the spatial segregation of microhabitats used by these two species at the sites studied and to differences in the ability to resist inundation. Vertigo angustior is associated with microhabitats which are not subjected to prolonged inundation and tolerates a brief submersion. The periodic character of vertical migrations may suggest the effect of endogenous factors related to reproduction in V. moulinsiana. Some plasticity of this behavior in relation to habitat conditions demonstrated by this species may be an adaptation to live in unpredictably flooded environments.     

Freshwater snails of East Caprivi and the lower Okavango River Basin in Namibia and Botswana

A systematic account is given of the aquatic gastropod fauna of the lower Okavango River in Namibia and Botswana, and of the East Caprivi area in Namibia, based on collections made mostly in 1983–86 from about 100 different sites. A total of 20 living species are reported, 9 of them for the first time from this area: Bellamya monardi, Lobogenes michaelis, Cleopatra elata, Afrogyrus coretus, Segmentorbis angustus, S. kanisaensis, Bulinus scalaris, B. depressus and B. tropicus. All are found outside this area and most are widely distributed Afrotropical species. Some do not occur farther south than the Okavango Delta, while others reach a south-western limit here but occur at greater latitude in the eastern tropical corridor on the coast of Natal. Bulinus globosus and Biomphalaria pfeifferi occur throughout the study area and are intermediate hosts for schistosome parasites of man and livestock.     

Aquatic snails of the Bulinus africanus group in Zambia identified according to morphometry and enzymes

The Bulinus africanus species group (Planorbidae) of freshwater snails has been reported to be represented in Zambia by two species, B. africanus (Krauss) and B. globosus (Morelet), both named as intermediate hosts for Schistosoma haematobium. Uncertainty in identification of these snails from morphology led to the present investigation, combining morphometry (shell and copulatory organ) with enzyme analysis. Observations of both kinds were made usually on the same individual snails, from collecting sites mostly in the Lusaka area or at Lake Kariba. Particular attention was given to the proportional relationship between the penis sheath and the preputium of the copulatory organ, a character used previously to distinguish B. africanus from B. globosus in south-eastern Africa. The enzyme profile MDH-1, AcP-2, PGD-1 and PGM-2 was common to all snails examined from 25 populations; GPI and HBDH were polymorphic. The enzyme data indicate that the samples represent a single species. Shell characters varied continuously. The copulatory organ was generally of the form known for B. globosus. Although the copulatory organ of a few individuals had proportions overlapping the range reported for B. africanus, the present variation was continuous and was not bimodal. It is concluded that all these specimens are conspecific and may be identified as B. globosus. Previous identifications of B. africanus from Zambia appear to need substantiation and it seems that if this species is present at all in the sampled areas, it must be uncommon. It is relevant in regard to possible strain differences within S. haematobium in Zambia, that our observations indicate that only a single species of intermediate host is involved in transmission.     

Microsatellite loci from the trematode Lecithochirium fusiforme,a parasite of the European conger eel

Seven polymorphic loci containing dinucleotide repeats and one trinucleotide microsatellite were developed for the hemiurid fluke Lecithochirium fusiforme, a parasite of the European conger eel Conger conger. All parasites that were collected from a single individual host (a total of 54 specimens) were genotyped. The number of alleles ranged from two to eight. The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.057 to 0.736 and from 0.091 to 0.794, respectively. Hardy–Weinberg deviations were statistically significant for two loci. These markers will be useful for study of parasite transmission patterns and population genetic structure.     

Zooplankton associations in the swamps of southern Sudan

Samples from the main Nile channel yield a poor zooplankton, deficient in species and heavily laden with organic debris. Samples from side arms and floodplain lakes yield a richer zooplankton, often containing 15–20 species of rotifers and ten or more species of Crustacea. When the floodplain lakes are heavily vegetated the number of species increases. For the Crustacea the index of diversity () normally varies between 0.6 and 2.4, but in a side arm of the Bahr el Zeraf it reaches 6.1 and in Lake Ambadi on the Bahr el Ghazal it reaches 8.4. The diversity of the rotifers is somewhat higher, normally ranging between 2 and 4.5, but reaching 23 in Lake Ambadi. The zooplankton of Lake Ambadi is the most distinctive and contains several species not found at other stations. The reasons for the peculiar zooplankton of Lake Ambadi are discussed.     

Parasite manipulation of brain monoamines in California killifish (Fundulus parvipinnis) by the trematode Euhaplorchis californiensis

California killifish (Fundulus parvipinnis) infected with the brain-encysting trematode Euhaplorchis californiensis display conspicuous swimming behaviours rendering them more susceptible to predation by avian final hosts. Heavily infected killifish grow and reproduce normally, despite having thousands of cysts inside their braincases. This suggests that E. californiensis affects only specific locomotory behaviours. We hypothesised that changes in the serotonin and dopamine metabolism, essential for controlling locomotion and arousal may underlie this behaviour modification. We employed micropunch dissection and HPLC to analyse monoamine and monoamine metabolite concentrations in the brain regions of uninfected and experimentally infected fish. The parasites exerted density-dependent changes in monoaminergic activity distinct from those exhibited by fish subjected to stress. Specifically, E. californiensis inhibited a normally occurring, stress-induced elevation of serotonergic metabolism in the raphae nuclei. This effect was particularly evident in the experimentally infected fish, whose low-density infections were concentrated on the brainstem. Furthermore, high E. californiensis density was associated with increased dopaminergic activity in the hypothalamus and decreased serotonergic activity in the hippocampus. In conclusion, the altered monoaminergic metabolism may explain behavioural differences leading to increased predation of the infected killifish by their final host predators.     

High diversity and regional endemism in land snails of eastern Tanzania

In February/March 1995 we collected land snails (including slugs) at 12 stations in eastern Tanzania. A total of 571 person-hours yielded 9174 snails assigned to 159 morpho-species. The richest two sites each (<4ha of uniform forest) had 50 species (Amboni Cave) and 48 species (near Amani, Usambaras), nearly as great as the most species-rich sites known in the world; sieving of litter and soil would probably yield more species. In lowland (coastal) forests, both diversity and endemism seemed to decrease from north to south. Most snail species were found within only one of four coastal or one montane geographic regions, indicating substantial regional endemism. Only one species (Achatina fulica) appeared in all five regions, and 84% of all other species were found in only one (61%) or two regions (23%). The predatory streptaxids comprised about half the species and a third of the individuals at the Usambara site, an extremely high ratio of carnivores. Small snails (< 5mm greatest adult shell dimension) – many of which are probably undescribed species – comprise a substantial proportion of Tanzanian molluscan diversity; more surveys are needed, especially because of human pressures on the few forest patches remaining.     

Food selection by freshwater snails in the Gezira irrigation canals,Sudan

Stomach content analysis was carried out on samples of the freshwater snail species Biomphalaria pfeifferi, Bulinus truncatus, Bulinus forskalii (Pulmonata, Planorbidae), Lymnaea natalensis (Pulmonata, Lymnaeidae), Melanoides tuberculata, Cleopatra bulimoides (Prosobranchia, Thiaridae) and Lanistes carinatus (Prosobranchia, Ampullariidae) from different irrigation canals in Sudan. In order to evaluate overlap in diet selection among these species, sites with two or more of the above-mentioned species present were selected. For some species food choice was examined in relation to size groupings. In addition, samples of Marisa cornuarietis (Prosobranchia, Ampullariidae) from small ponds in Sudan, samples of Biomphalaria pfeifferi and Helisoma duryi (Pulmonata, Planorbidae) from drainage canals in an irrigation scheme in northern Tanzania, and samples of H. duryi from fish ponds in the coastal area of Kenya were also analysed. The results indicate a great similarity in the food choice of these species, especially among the pulmonate species. All species feed on fine detritus, epiphytic algae and decaying macrophytes. No fresh fragments of aquatic macrophytes were found and animal remains were found only on a few occasions. However, the stomach contents of the ampullarid species were characterized by large fragments of dead macrophyte tissue, while the composition of the finer particles showed a great resemblance to that of the pulmonate species. The diet of the thiarid species is essentially the same as that of the pulmonate species, although in one site Cleopatra bulimoides showed a greater preference for green algae. Apart from the avoidance of blue-green algae, there was little evidence of selection of certain algal components of the Aufwuchs for the pulmonate species. Detritus constitutes the major component of the stomach content of all these snail species.     

论滩地灭螺林的概念与应用

根据“兴林灭螺”产生背景,发展现状和重要影响,阐述滩地灭螺林与其他林种之间的区别,滩地灭螺林除具有灭螺防病的功能之外,还有其特殊的地理环境,特定的树咎构成,特异的营造技术和林相结构;总结滩地灭螺林的经营原则是超强度集约经营,短周期经营,规模经营和综合经营,因此滩地灭螺林在林业生产中应划分为一个新的林种,提出长江中下游沿江地区新的林种结构是滩地灭螺林、防护林,经济林与景观游憩林,并就如何加快发展滩地     

Impact of Invasive Water Hyacinth (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Eichhornia crassipes</Emphasis>) on Snail Hosts of Schistosomiasis in Lake Victoria,East Africa

Invasive plants may change ecologic conditions to contribute to transmission of human diseases. This study examined whether water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) had an effect on the snails Biomphalaria sudanica and B. choanomphala, hosts of the disease organism Schistosoma mansoni in Lake Victoria, East Africa. Eight 16-m² enclosures were established in shallow shoreline areas and were paired for water depth, substrate, detrital build up, and distance from rooted vegetation, agricultural runoff, and human activity. In each enclosure, nine randomly selected sediment samples were collected by using a Petite Ponar Dredge, after which 50 water hyacinth rosettes were added to the experimental enclosure within each pair. Six weeks later, nine randomly selected sediment samples were again collected, as were two water hyacinth rosettes from the water column above each sampling point. During the 6 weeks, water hyacinth density had increased from 50 to approximately 2400 rosettes in each enclosure. Adult B. sudanica and unidentified snail egg masses were observed on sampled water hyacinth petioles. Biomphalaria sudanica density was significantly higher in enclosures with water hyacinth (P=0.034); snail size suggested that this difference was due to passive or active immigration rather than increased reproduction, but snail emigration or greater predation in control enclosures may also have contributed.     

Biology of Latia neritoides Gray 1850 (Gastropoda,Pulmonata, Basommatophora): the Only Light-producing Freshwater Snail in the World

This report on the freshwater pulmonate basommatophoran Latia neritoides of the North Island of New Zealand is based on field and laboratory studies. It deals with aspects of the habitat, describes biological adaptations of organs and organ systems in Latia, reviews the chemical basis of bioluminescence in this species, discusses the possible roles of light production in Latia, and addresses zoogeographic and phylogenetic questions.     

A nomenclator of extant and fossil taxa of the Valvatidae (Gastropoda,Ectobranchia)

A compilation of all supra- and (infra-) specific taxa of extant and fossil Valvatidae, a group of freshwater operculate snails, is provided, including taxa initially described in this family and subsequently classified in other families, as well as names containing errors or misspellings. The extensive reference list is directly linked to the available electronic source (digital view or pdf-download) of the respective papers.     

Cladocera from the Sudan: Red Sea Hills,Jebel Marra and valley of the main Nile

Twenty species of Cladocera are reported from the Nile, where lacustrine species dominate, and from Jebel Marra and the Red Sea Hills, where chydorids dominate. The community found in the Red Sea Hills is more typically desertic than that of Jebel Marra, which appears closely related to the fauna of the West and Central African Sahel.     

Characterization of 15 polymorphic microsatellite markers in the freshwater snail Aplexa marmorata (Mollusca, Gastropoda)

We describe 15 new variable microsatellites in the freshwater snail Aplexa (Physa) marmorata, as well as conditions for multiplexing and simultaneous genotyping sets of loci. Two to 11 alleles were detected per locus over the five populations studied, and up to eight alleles per locus and population. The observed heterozygosity was extremely low, most probably as the consequence of high selfing rates. The genetic differentiation among populations was large. These markers will constitute efficient tools for investigating the population structure in fragmented habitats. Cross-species amplification in three Physa species (P. acuta, P. fontinalis and P. gyrina) was rather unsuccessful.     

Genetic heterogeneity among the Negroid and Arab tribes of the Sudan

Genetic distance analysis was carried out among seven tribes of the Sudan comprising three Negroid (Nuba, Fur, and Nilotes) and four Arab tribes (Beja, Gaalin, Hawazma, and Messeria) on the basis of six polymorphic loci (ABO and Rhesus blood groups; haemoglobin and red cell glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase; serum haptoglobin and transferrin polymorphisms) controlling 21 alleles and compared with the Arab and Negroid populations in neighbouring countries. The Nuba and Nilotes have been found to have Negroid genetic characteristics, while the Fur are intermediate between the Arabs and Negroids. The Beja and Gaalin tribes have more pronounced Arab genetic characteristics than the Hawazma and Messeria, who have a great deal of Negroid admixture.     

Low genetic diversity in a snail intermediate host (Biomphalaria pfeifferi Krass, 1848) and schistosomiasis transmission in the Senegal River Basin

Population genetic perturbations of intermediate hosts, often a consequence of human pressure on environmental resources, can precipitate unexpectedly severe disease outbreaks. Such disturbances are set to become increasingly common following range changes concomitant with climate shifts, dwindling natural resources and major infrastructure changes such as hydroprojects. Construction of the Diama dam in the Senegal River Basin (SRB) reduced river salinity, enabling the freshwater snail intermediate host Biomphalaria pfeifferi to rapidly expand its distribution. A serious public health problem ensued, with an epidemic of intestinal schistosomiasis occurring in the previously schistosome‐free Richard‐Toll region within 2 years. The current study aimed to assess the population variability of B. pfeifferi in the SRB, and speculate upon its subsequent impact on host‐parasite interactions following such engineered ecological change. Genetic variation at nine polymorphic microsatellite loci revealed little population differentiation in SRB snails compared with those from natural habitats in Zimbabwe, where Schistosoma mansoni transmission is much lower. ‘Open’ SRB habitats are associated with greater water contact, smaller population sizes and less genetic diversity, with sites downstream of Richard‐Toll showing greater inter‐ and intrapopulation variation, concomitant with less frequent human contact. These observations may be explained by rapid expansion into pristine habitat selecting for high fecundity genotypes at the expense of schistosome resistance, presenting S. mansoni with genetically homogenous highly fecund susceptible populations around the focal point, promoting development of a highly compatible host‐parasite relationship. Longitudinal study of such systems may prove important in predicting public health risks engendered by future environmental engineering projects.     

The macroinvertebrate fauna of water hyacinth fringes in the Sudd swamps (River Nile,southern Sudan)

The water hyacinth now forms an almost ubiquitous fringe to open-water habitats in the permanent wetland of the Sudd. In a typical river-lake the fringe varied between 9 and 16 m in breadth with highest plant biomasses in the centre. Largest quantities of macroinvertebrates in hyacinth root-mats were obtained in drop-trap samples within 6 m of the open water. They were dominated by coleopterans, odonatans, gastropods andCaridina nilotica. Outer edges of the fringe offer easy access, good dissolved oxygen concentrations, and a variety of potential food resources for aquatic invertebrates. By contrast the less hospitable landward zone contained a reduced fauna in which coleopterans, hydracarines and gastropods were prominent. A marked reduction in the numbers of invertebrates in lift-net samples of detached hyacinth rafts was attributed to browsing by fish. Hyacinth root-mats appear to have replaced the niches formerly provided by those of the Nile cabbage for aquatic invertebrates in the Sudd.     

Effect of Cystoseira barbata and Dictyota dichotoma-algae on reproduction and protein pattern of Biomphalaria alexandrina snails

Controlling the snail intermediate host of schistosomiasis is one of the strategies used to reduce disease incidence. In this study screening tests were carried out on the action of dried powder of eight algal species against Biomphalaria alexandrina snails. The most effective powders were from Dictyota dichotoma and Cystoseira barbata with LC₅₀ values of 560 and 2200?ppm, respectively. Prolonged exposure to sublethal concentrations of these two powders caused adverse effects on snails' reproduction especially at LC₂₅. Hatchability of exposed eggs was lowest at LC₂₅ of C. barbata, and LC₁₅ of D. dichotoma. The most pronounced effects on the hermaphrodite gland of snails were caused by high concentrations of both algal suspensions, where ova were either degenerated or deformed and there were detrimental effects on all spermatogenesis stages. The electrophoretic separation of haemolymph proteins showed that the concentration with most effect was the LC₁₅ for both tested algae as they resulted in more bands than the control and also an elevation in total protein content.     

Comparison of heart rate in embryonic,young and adult Achatina fulica

We have studied the embryonic heart in the gastropod Achatina fulica using eggs soon after their deposition. We also followed the development of organs, with the main emphasis on the heart and its physiology. The embryos were examined at different stages by carefully removing egg shell until hatching. In this context the heart rate (HR) was analysed in embryonic snails and compared with that of young (from hatching) and adults. The HR of embryos dissected from newly deposited eggs was irregular, with a mean frequency of 0.42?±?0.14?Hz. The heartbeat during the ontogeny was more rhythmic and HR increased to 0.82?±?0.12?Hz. The intersystolic intervals (ISI) in real time showed a Gaussian distribution for all animals. The peak ISI from Gaussian fit closely matched the cumulative probability for corresponding data. Although the HR increased after hatching, comparisons yield a weak correlation (R?=?0.56?±?0.27) with the total body weight of embryonic, young and adult snails.