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''Planorbarius metidjensis'' is a freshwater lung snail. MolluscaBase eds. (2022). MolluscaBase. Planorbarius metidjensis (Forbes, 1838). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1062886 on 2022-06-16
Experiments confirmed it to be a host of the '' Schistosoma'' parasites, while the ''
The snail occurs in southwestern Morocco as well as in Algarve (Portugal) and Salamanca (Spain).
In a 2007 study carried out in Morocco, the snail was found in larger altitudes, and not in man-made water bodies like canals and artificial lakes. It tolerated a wide range of electrical conductivities (120 to 3650 microsieverts/cm) and up to 1.1 grams of
Forbes, E. (1838). On the land and freshwater mollusca of Algiers and Bougia. The Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 2 (10): 250-255, pl. 11-12
Graells, M.P. (1846). Catalogo de los moluscos terrestres y de agua dulce observados en España, y descripción y notas de algunas especies nuevas o poco conocidas del mismo país. Viuda é Hijos de Don Antonia Calleja, Madrid, and Calleja, Ojea y Compañia, Lima. vii + 23 pp., 1 pl.
Image of Planorbarius metidjensis
{{Commons category Heterobranchia Freshwater snails Gastropods of Europe Gastropods described in 1838 Taxa named by Edward Forbes
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. ...
'' freshwater snail has been known much longer as a carrier of 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 ...
.
Description
The snail measures 8 mm x 16 to 18 mm. The shell is light yellowish, while theperiostracum
The periostracum ( ) is a thin, organic coating (or "skin") that is the outermost layer of the shell of many shelled animals, including molluscs and brachiopods. Among molluscs, it is primarily seen in snails and clams, i.e. in gastropods a ...
is brown, reddish or greenish. The body is nearly black with a grey foot and tentacles.
Schistosomiasis transmission
While ''P. metidjensis'' has been successfully infected with ''Schistosoma haematobium
''Schistosoma haematobium'' (urinary blood fluke) is a species of digenetic trematode, belonging to a group (genus) of blood flukes ('' Schistosoma''). It is found in Africa and the Middle East. It is the major agent of schistosomiasis, the mo ...
'' in the laboratory, in Morocco, no free-living infected snails have been found during a survey. Likewise, in the laboratory, snail specimens from Portugal and Salamanca
Salamanca () is a city in western Spain and is the capital of the Province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile and León. The city lies on several rolling hills by the Tormes River. Its Old City was declared a UNESCO World Her ...
were found to be very susceptible to infections by ''Schistosoma bovis
''Schistosoma bovis'' is a two-host blood fluke, that causes intestinal schistosomiasis in ruminants in North Africa, Mediterranean Europe and the Middle East. ''S. bovis'' is mostly transmitted by '' Bulinus'' freshwater snail species. It is one ...
'' strains gathered from the Salamanca region, but the 1977 study urged a prevalence survey of free-living snails.
In some areas, there are ''S. haematobium/S. bovis'' hybrids. ''P. metidjensis'' is immune to experimental infection with hybrid parasites collected in Corsica that contain 23% genetical material from ''S. bovis''.
Distribution and habitat
The snail occurs in southwestern Morocco as well as in Algarve (Portugal) and Salamanca (Spain).
In a 2007 study carried out in Morocco, the snail was found in larger altitudes, and not in man-made water bodies like canals and artificial lakes. It tolerated a wide range of electrical conductivities (120 to 3650 microsieverts/cm) and up to 1.1 grams of chlorides
The chloride ion is the anion (negatively charged ion) Cl−. It is formed when the element chlorine (a halogen) gains an electron or when a compound such as hydrogen chloride is dissolved in water or other polar solvents. Chloride sal ...
per liter. It was often found together with ''Ancylus fluviatilis
The river limpet (''Ancylus fluviatilis'') is a species of very small, freshwater, air-breathing limpet, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the tribe Ancylini within the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails and their allies.
...
'' river snails.
References
* Brown D.S. (1994). Freshwater snails of Africa and their medical importance, 2nd edition. London: Taylor and Francis, 607 p. page(s): 217, fig. 101cExternal links
Forbes, E. (1838). On the land and freshwater mollusca of Algiers and Bougia. The Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 2 (10): 250-255, pl. 11-12
Graells, M.P. (1846). Catalogo de los moluscos terrestres y de agua dulce observados en España, y descripción y notas de algunas especies nuevas o poco conocidas del mismo país. Viuda é Hijos de Don Antonia Calleja, Madrid, and Calleja, Ojea y Compañia, Lima. vii + 23 pp., 1 pl.
Image of Planorbarius metidjensis
{{Commons category Heterobranchia Freshwater snails Gastropods of Europe Gastropods described in 1838 Taxa named by Edward Forbes