Biomphalaria pfeifferi explained

Biomphalaria pfeifferi is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic animal pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails.

This snail is a medically important pest, because of transferring the disease schistosomiasis.^[1]

Distribution

Biomphalaria pfeifferi is an African species. It has recently expanded its native range to the Arabian Peninsula and Madagascar.^[2]

Distribution of Biomphalaria pfeifferi include:

• Western Africa: Senegal^[3]
• Eastern Africa: Kenya^[1]
• Southern Africa: Botswana^[4] and South Africa.

The type locality is in Umgeni Valley, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (in the times of the description it was the British Colony of Natal).

Phylogeny

A cladogram showing phylogenic relations of species in the genus Biomphalaria:^[5]

Mating system

B. pfeifferi is hermaphroditic, and genetic analyses performed both at the family and population levels indicate high self-fertilization rates.^[6] However, B. pfeifferi exhibits only a low level of inbreeding depression.^[6]

Ecology

Biomphalaria pfeifferi can survive up to 16 hours in anaerobic water using lactic acid fermentation.^[7]

In Kenya, B. pfeifferi is positively associated with the common blue water-lily Nymphaea caerulea (the two species occur together).^[1]

Parasites

Parasites of Biomphalaria pfeifferi include the following 11 species found in Tanzania:^[8]

• Schistosoma mansoni^{[8] [9]}
• undescribed clinostomatid^[8]
• two species undescribed strigea^[8]
• Cercaria porteri^[8]
• Cercaria blukwa^[8]
• two species of undescribed echinostome^[8]
• Cercaria lileta^[8]
• Cercaria obscurior^[8]
• Cercaria bulla^[8]

Control

In Kenya, releasing the edible American crayfish Procambarus clarkii as an introduced species has helped eliminate the mollusc, which it feeds on, as well as provided a new source of food and income,^{[1] [10]} but may also be impacting the environment by reducing the amount of native aquatic plants.^[11]

The seeds of the tree Balanites aegyptiaca have a molluscicide effect on Biomphalaria pfeifferi.^[12]

Substance	Route	LC50	Reference
Powder of crude kernels of Balanites aegyptiaca	immersion(?)	60 ppm
Acetone extract of powder of the kernels of Balanites aegyptiaca	immersion(?)	172,40 ppm
Ethanol extract of the powder of kernels of Balanites aegyptiaca	immersion(?)	84,15 ppm

Ethanolic extract of the fruits of Dalbergia sissoo (family Leguminosae) exhibited molluscicidal effect against eggs of Biomphalaria pfeifferi.^[13]

Further reading

• Nguma . J. F. . McCullough . F. S. . Masha . E. . Elimination of Biomphalaria pfeifferi, Bulinus tropicus and Lymnaea natalensis by the ampullarid snail, Marisa cornuarietis, in a man-made dam in northern Tanzania . Acta Tropica . 39 . 1 . 85–90 . 1982 . 6122367.
• Utzinger . J. . Tanner . M. . Microhabitat preferences of Biomphalaria pfeifferi and Lymnaea natalensis in a natural and a man-made habitat in southeastern Tanzania . Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz . 95 . 3 . 287–294 . 2000 . 10800185. 10.1590/S0074-02762000000300002 . free .
• Wright C. A. (1963). "The freshwater gastropod mollusca of Angola". Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) 10(8): 447–528. 16 plates. page 455.

Notes and References

1. Hofkin . Bruce V. . Koech . Davy K. . Oumaj . John . Loker . Eric S. . October 1991 . The North American Crayfish Procambarus clarkii and the Biologica Control of Schistosome-Transmitting Snails in Kenya: Laboratory and Field Investigations . Biological Control . 1 . 3 . 183–187 . 10.1016/1049-9644(91)90065-8. 1991BiolC...1..183H .
2. Pointier . J. P. . David . P. . Jarne . P. . Biological invasions: The case of planorbid snails . 10.1079/JOH2005292 . Journal of Helminthology . 79 . 3 . 249–256 . 2005 . 16153319. 11158571 .
3. Sarr A., Kinzelbach R. & Diouf M. (2011, in press). "Diversité spécifique et écologie des mollusques continenatux de la basse vallée du Ferlo (Sénégal). [Specific diversity and ecology of continental molluscs from the Lower Ferlo Valley (Senegal)]". MalaCo 7: 8 pp. PDF .
4. Rapalai, B.L.. An annotated checklist of molluscs recorded from Botswana. Indago. 2024. 41. 15–44. 10.5281/zenodo.13132605.
5. 10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a003769 . Dejong . R. J. . Morgan . J. A. . Paraense . W. L. . Pointier . J. P. . Amarista . M. . Ayeh-Kumi . P. F. . Babiker . A. . Barbosa . C. S. . Brémond . P. . Pedro Canese . A. . De Souza . C. P. . Dominguez . C. . File . S. . Gutierrez . A. . Incani . R. N. . Kawano . T. . Kazibwe . F. . Kpikpi . J. . Lwambo . N. J. . Mimpfoundi . R. . Njiokou . F. . Noël Poda . J. . Sene . M. . Velásquez . L. E. . Yong . M. . Adema . C. M. . Hofkin . B. V. . Mkoji . G. M. . Loker . E. S. . Evolutionary relationships and biogeography of Biomphalaria (Gastropoda: Planorbidae) with implications regarding its role as host of the human bloodfluke, Schistosoma mansoni . Molecular Biology and Evolution . 18 . 12 . 2225–2239 . 2001 . 11719572. free .
6. Kengne-Fokam AC, Nana-Djeunga HC, Djuikwo-Teukeng FF, Njiokou F. Analysis of mating system, fecundity, hatching and survival rates in two Schistosoma mansoni intermediate hosts (Biomphalaria pfeifferi and Biomphalaria camerunensis) in Cameroon. Parasit Vectors. 2016 Jan 6;9:10. doi: 10.1186/s13071-015-1285-4. PMID 26739376; PMCID: PMC4702333
7. Brand . T. V. . Baernstein . H. D. . Mehlman . B. . Studies on the anaerobic metabolism and the aerobic carbohydrate consumption of some fresh water snails . The Biological Bulletin . 98 . 3 . 266–276 . 1950 . 15420230 . 10.2307/1538675. 1538675 . PDF
8. Loker . E S. . Moyo . H. G. . Gardner . S. L. . 1981 . Trematode-gastropod association in nine non-lacustrine habitats in the Mwanza region of Tanzania . Parasitology . 83 . 2. 381–399 . 10.1017/s0031182000085383. 25795488 .
9. Ibikounlé. M. Mouahid. G. Mintsa Nguéma. R. Sakiti. NG. Kindé-Gasard. D. Massougbodji. A. Moné. H. Life-history traits indicate local adaptation of the schistosome parasite, Schistosoma mansoni, to its snail host, Biomphalaria pfeifferi.. Experimental Parasitology. December 2012. 132. 4. 501–7. 23031799. 10.1016/j.exppara.2012.09.020.
10. Madzivanzira . Takudzwa C. . South . Josie . Wood . Louisa E. . Nunes . Ana L. . Weyl . Olaf L. F. . 13 August 2020 . A Review of Freshwater Crayfish Introductions in Africa . Reviews in Fisheries Science & Aquaculture . 29. 2. 218–241. 10.1080/23308249.2020.1802405 . 1 April 2021. 10019.1/112592 . 225380619 . free .
11. Harper . David Malcolm . Smart . Andrew . Coley . Stephanie . Schmitz . Sophie . Gouder . Anne-Christine . North . Rick . Adams . Chris . Obade . Paul . Kamau . Mbogo . November 2002 . Distribution and Abundance of the Louisiana Red Swamp Crayfish Procambarus clarkii Girard at Lake Naivasha, Kenya, Between 1987 and 1999 . Hydrobiologia . 488 . 1 . 143–151 . 10.1023/A:1023330614984 . 35987722 . 1 April 2021.
12. Hamidou T. H., Kabore H., Ouattara O., Ouédraogo S., Guissou I. P. & Sawadogo L. (2002) "Efficacy of Balanites aegyptiaca(L.) DEL Balanitaceae as Anthelminthic and Molluscicid Used by Traditional Healers in Burkina Faso". International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases 2002. page 37. PDF
13. Adenusi A. A. & Odaibo A. B. (2009). "Effects of varying concentrations of the crude aqueous and ethanolic". African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative medicines 6(2). abstract, PDF.