''Bulinus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of small

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

freshwater snail Freshwater snails are gastropod mollusks which live in fresh water. There are many different families. They are found throughout the world in various habitats, ranging from ephemeral pools to the largest lakes, and from small seeps and springs ...

s, aquatic gastropod

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is es ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Bulinidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Bulinus O. F. Müller, 1781. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=224352 on 2020-06-27 This genus is medically important because several species of ''Bulinus'' function as intermediate hosts for the

schistosomiasis Schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever, bilharzia, and Katayama fever, is a disease caused by parasitic flatworms called schistosomes. The urinary tract or the intestines may be infected. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody ...

blood fluke.

Taxonomy

Miocene genus ''Kosovia'' was synonymized ''Bulinus'' in 2017.

Distribution

These snails are widespread in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

including

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

and the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

. This genus has not yet become established in the USA, but it is considered to represent a potentially serious threat as a

pest Pest or The Pest may refer to: Science and medicine * Pest (organism), an animal or plant deemed to be detrimental to humans or human concerns ** Weed, a plant considered undesirable * Infectious disease, an illness resulting from an infection ** ...

, an

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species adv ...

which could negatively affect agriculture, natural ecosystems, human health or commerce. Therefore it has been suggested that this species be given top national

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...

significance in the USA.

Shell description

The shell of species in the genus ''Bulinus'' is sinistral. It has a very large body whorl and a small spire.

Species

Species within the genus ''Bulinus'' have been placed into four

species group In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

s: the ''Bulinus africanus'' group, ''Bulinus forskalii'' group, ''Bulinus reticulatus'' group and the ''Bulinus truncatus/tropicus''

complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

. For the most part, species have been classified on the basis of their morphology although, in recent decades, the study of

ploidy Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Sets of chromosomes refer to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, respective ...

, allozymes and DNA methods have all played an increasing role in species discrimination. Morphological characters, whilst adequate to allocate a specimen to a species group are sometimes unreliable when used to classify at higher resolution especially within the ''Bulinus africanus'' group. There are 37''Characterisation of Bulinus''
. Accessed 31 December 2008. (or 38 species when the '' Bulinus mutandensis'' is recognized as a separate species) species within the genus ''Bulinus'' including: ''Bulinus africanus'' group - 10 species * '' Bulinus abyssinicus'' (Martens, 1866)Brown D. S. (1994). ''Freshwater Snails of Africa and their Medical Importance''.

Taylor & Francis Taylor & Francis Group is an international company originating in England that publishes books and academic journals. Its parts include Taylor & Francis, Routledge, F1000 Research or Dovepress. It is a division of Informa plc, a United Ki ...

. * '' Bulinus africanus'' (Krauss, 1848) * '' Bulinus globosus'' (Morelet, 1866) * '' Bulinus hightoni'' Brown & Wright, 1978 * '' Bulinus jousseaumei'' (Dautzenberg, 1890) * ''

Bulinus nasutus ''Bulinus nasutus'' is a species of tropical freshwater snail with a sinistral shell, an aquatic gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. Subspecies * ''Bulinus nasutus nasutus'' * ''Bulinus nasutu ...

'' (Martens, 1879) * '' Bulinus obtusispira'' (Smith, 1882) * ''

Bulinus obtusus ''Bulinus'' is a genus of small tropical freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Bulinidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Bulinus O. F. Müller, 1781. Accessed through: Worl ...

'' Mandahl-Barth, 1973 * ''

Bulinus ugandae ''Bulinus'' is a genus of small tropical freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Bulinidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Bulinus O. F. Müller, 1781. Accessed through: Worl ...

'' Mandahl-Barth, 1954 * '' Bulinus umbilicatus'' Mandahl-Barth, 1973 ''Bulinus forskalii'' group - 11 species * ''

Bulinus barthi ''Bulinus barthi'' is a species of small tropical freshwater snail with a sinistral shell, an aquatic animal, aquatic gastropod mollusc in the family Planorbidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. This species is found in List of non-marine ...

'' Jelnes, 1979 * ''

Bulinus bavayi ''Bulinus'' is a genus of small tropical freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Bulinidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Bulinus O. F. Müller, 1781. Accessed through: W ...

'' (Dautzenberg, 1894) * ''

Bulinus beccarii ''Bulinus'' is a genus of small tropical freshwater snails, aquatic animal, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family (biology), family Bulinidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Bulinus O. F. Mülle ...

'' (Paladilhe, 1872) * ''

Bulinus browni ''Bulinus browni'' is a species of freshwater snail, a gastropod in the Planorbidae family. It is endemic to Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_m ...

'' Jelnes, 1979 * ''

Bulinus camerunensis ''Bulinus camerunensis'' is a species of small air-breathing freshwater snail with a sinistral shell, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. This species is endemic to Lake Barom ...

'' Mandahl-Barth, 1957 * ''

Bulinus canescens ''Bulinus canescens'' is a species of freshwater snail, a gastropod in the family Bulinidae.MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Bulinus canescens (Morelet, 1867). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespeci ...

'' (Morelet, 1868) * '' Bulinus cernicus'' (Morelet, 1867) * ''

Bulinus crystallinus ''Bulinus crystallinus'' is a species of small air-breathing freshwater snail with a sinistral shell, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Bulinidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies.MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase ...

'' (Morelet, 1868) * '' Bulinus forskalii'' (Ehrenberg, 1831) * '' Bulinus scalaris'' (Dunker, 1845) * ''

Bulinus senegalensis ''Bulinus senegalensis'' is a species of gastropods belonging to the family Bulinidae. The species is found in Africa. References senegalensis Gastropods described in 1781 Gastropods of Africa {{Planorbidae-stub ...

'' Müller, 1781 - the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen( ...

of the genus ''Bulinus reticulatus'' group - 2 species * '' Bulinus reticulatus'' Mandahl-Barth, 1954 * ''

Bulinus wrighti ''Bulinus wrighti'' is a species of small tropical air-breathing freshwater snail with a sinistral shell, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies.Brown D. S. (1994). ''Freshwater ...

'' Mandahl-Barth, 1965 ''Bulinus truncatus/tropicus'' complex - 14-15 species * ''

Bulinus angolensis ''Bulinus'' is a genus of small tropical freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Bulinidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Bulinus O. F. Müller, 1781. Accessed through: Worl ...

'' (Morelet, 1866) * ''

Bulinus depressus ''Bulinus'' is a genus of small tropical freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Bulinidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Bulinus O. F. Müller, 1781. Accessed through: Worl ...

'' Haas, 1936 * '' Bulinus hexaploidus'' Burch, 1972 * '' Bulinus liratus'' (Tristram, 1863) * '' Bulinus mutandensis'' Preston, 1913 * '' Bulinus natalensis'' (Küster, 1841)Curtis B., Jørgensen A., Kristensen T. K., Stensgaard A-S. & Van Damme D. (2009)
''Bulinus natalensis''
In: IUCN 2010. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. . Retrieved 3 December 2010. * '' Bulinus nyassanus'' (E. A. Smith, 1877) * ''

Bulinus octoploidus ''Bulinus'' is a genus of small tropical freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Bulinidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Bulinus O. F. Müller, 1781. Accessed through: Worl ...

'' Burch, 1972 * ''

Bulinus permembranaceus ''Bulinus'' is a genus of small tropical freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Bulinidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Bulinus O. F. Müller, 1781. Accessed through: Worl ...

'' (Preston, 1912) * ''

Bulinus succinoides ''Bulinus succinoides'' is a species of freshwater snail, a gastropod in the Planorbidae family. It is endemic to Lake Malawi Lake Malawi, also known as Lake Nyasa in Tanzania and Lago Niassa in Mozambique, is an African Great Lake and the ...

'' (E. A. Smith, 1877) * ''

Bulinus transversalis ''Bulinus transversalis'' is a species of small air-breathing freshwater snail with a sinistral shell, an aquatic animal, aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family (biology), family Planorbidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. Thi ...

'' (Martens, 1897) * ''

Bulinus trigonus ''Bulinus'' is a genus of small tropical freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Bulinidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Bulinus O. F. Müller, 1781. Accessed through: Worl ...

'' (Martens, 1892) * '' Bulinus tropicus'' (Krauss, 1848) * ''

Bulinus truncatus ''Bulinus truncatus'' is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail with a sinistral shell, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the subfamily Bulininae of the family Bulinidae, the ram's horn snails and the like. MolluscaBase eds. ...

'' (Audouin, 1827) * ''

Bulinus yemenensis ''Bulinus'' is a genus of small tropical freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Bulinidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Bulinus O. F. Müller, 1781. Accessed through: Worl ...

'' Paggi et al., 1978 other * ''

Bulinus rubellus ''Bulinus'' is a genus of small tropical freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Bulinidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Bulinus O. F. Müller, 1781. Accessed through: Worl ...

'' Broderip 1832 * † '' Bulinus bouei'' (Pavlović, 1931) - from late Miocene * † ''

Bulinus corici ''Bulinus'' is a genus of small tropical freshwater snails, aquatic animal, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family (biology), family Bulinidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Bulinus O. F. Mülle ...

'' Harzhauser & Neubauer in Harzhauser et al., 2012 - from middle Miocene * † ''

Bulinus matejici ''Bulinus'' is a genus of small tropical freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Bulinidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Bulinus O. F. Müller, 1781. Accessed through: Worl ...

'' (Pavlović, 1931) - from middle Miocene * † ''

Bulinus ornatus ''Bulinus'' is a genus of small tropical freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Bulinidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Bulinus O. F. Müller, 1781. Accessed through: Worl ...

'' (Pavlović, 1931) - from late Miocene * † '' Bulinus pavlovici'' (Atanacković, 1959) - from late Miocene * † ''

Bulinus stevanovici ''Bulinus'' is a genus of small tropical freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Bulinidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Bulinus O. F. Müller, 1781. Accessed through: Worl ...

'' (Atanacković, 1959) - late Miocene * † ''

Bulinus striatus ''Bulinus'' is a genus of small tropical freshwater snails, aquatic gastropod mollusks in the family Bulinidae, the ramshorn snails and their allies. MolluscaBase eds. (2020). MolluscaBase. Bulinus O. F. Müller, 1781. Accessed through: Wo ...

'' (Milošević, 1978) - late Miocene

References

This article incorporates CC-BY-2.5 text from the reference

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q291487