Radix natalensis explained

Radix natalensis is a species of freshwater snail, an aquatic gastropod mollusc in the family Lymnaeidae.

This species occurs widely in Africa. It is a major intermediate host for Fasciola gigantica in Africa.[1] Placement of this species in the genus Radix was confirmed by Correa et al. (2010).[2]

Distribution

Radix natalensis is a widespread species in Africa, occurring from northern Africa to southern Africa:

The type locality is in "pools in Port Natal", which today is Durban, South Africa.

Description

Radix natalensis was described by the German scientist and traveller Christian Ferdinand Friedrich Krauss in 1848.

The shape of the shell is elongate ovoid.[6] The shell is colorless or light brown in color.[6] The height of the aperture covers about 3/4 of the shell height.[6] The lip of the aperture is thin and sharp.[6] The umbilicus is closed. The width of the shell is about 5.75–7 mm.[6] The height of the shell is 4.6–19.2 mm.[6]

The reproductive system and radula was described by Wright (1963) in detail.[6]

Ecology

Radix natalensis lives in permanent water bodies. They prefer clear, slow-running water with low salinity and abundant vegetation. An estimated density of Radix natalensis in a natural habitat in Tanzania was 34 snails per m². The snails lived mainly in the shallow water in depths of 0–4 cm, mainly between 20–30 cm from the shoreline. They prefer plant detritus or bedrock as a substrate.[7]

Laboratory experiments have shown that some larger snails of Radix natalensis can survive on a wooden surface without water for up to 21 days.[4] Some smaller snails of Radix natalensis have survived desiccation on a soil surface up to 60 days on "black" soil.[4] Some smaller snails of Radix natalensis were able to survive for up to 90 days on soil among sedges (Cyperus) or in the "black" soil exposed to sun or in the soil with stones.[4]

Parasites

This species has been found to be an intermediate host of both Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica. Overall, rates of snail infection vary between 10% and 40%. The highest infection rate was found to be in summer and this may be a factor responsible for lowering snail density in this season.Parasites of Radix natalensis include:

Predators of Radix natalensis include leeches Helobdella nilae and Alboglossiphonia conjugata.[14]

Snails of the non-indigenous species Marisa cornuarietis eliminated Radix natalensis and other two native snail species from a small pond in Tanzania in an experiment in 1982.[15]

Oil extract of the gum myrrh Commiphora myrrha has molluscicidal activity against Radix natalensis.[16] [17]

Phylogeny

A cladogram shows the phylogenic relations of species in the genus Radix:[2]

Synonyms

References

This article incorporates CC-BY-3.0 text from the reference.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Dar . Y. . Vignoles . P. . Rondelaud . D. . Dreyfuss . G. . 2014 . Radix natalensis: the effect of Fasciola hepatica infection on the reproductive activity of the snail . Parasite . 21 . 24 . 10.1051/parasite/2014026 . 24871866 . 4036296 . free .
  2. Correa . A. C. . Escobar . J. S. . Durand . P. . Renaud . F. O. . David . P. . Jarne . P. . Pointier . J. P. . Hurtrez-Boussès . S. . 10.1186/1471-2148-10-381 . Bridging gaps in the molecular phylogeny of the Lymnaeidae (Gastropoda: Pulmonata), vectors of Fascioliasis . BMC Evolutionary Biology . 10 . 381 . 2010 . 21143890. 3013105 . free .
  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. Cridland . C. C. . Resistance of Bulinus (Physopsis) globosus, Bulinus (Ph.) africanus, Biomphalaria pfeifferi and Lymnaea natalensis to experimental desiccation . Bulletin of the World Health Organization . 36 . 3 . 507–513 . 1967 . 5299680 . 2476301.
  5. Stothard . J. R. . Bremond . P. . Andriamaro . L. . Loxton . N. J. . Sellin . B. . Sellin . E. . Rollinson . D. . 10.1111/j.1469-7998.2000.tb00625.x . Molecular characterization of the freshwater snail Lymnaea natalensis (Gastropoda: Lymnaeidae) on Madagascar with an observation of an unusual polymorphism in ribosomal small subunit genes . Journal of Zoology . 252 . 3 . 303–315 . 2000 .
  6. Wright C. A. (1963). "The freshwater gastropod mollusca of Angola". Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) 10(8): 447–528. 16 plates. page 493.
  7. 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 .
  8. Dar . Y. . Djuikwo . T. F. . Vignoles . P. . Dreyfuss . G. . Rondelaud . D. . Radix natalensis (Gastropoda: Lymnaeidae), a potential intermediate host of Fasciola hepatica in Egypt . Parasite . Paris, France . 17 . 3 . 251–256 . 2010 . 21073147 . 10.1051/parasite/2010173251 . free . 11 July 2024 . 10 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221210094946/https://www.parasite-journal.org/articles/parasite/pdf/2010/03/parasite2010173p251.pdf . live.
  9. Dar . Y. . Vignoles . P. . Dreyfuss . G. . Rondelaud . D. . The development of rediae of Fasciola hepatica in Radix natalensis subjected twice to bimiracidial exposures . 10.1017/S0022149X10000453 . Journal of Helminthology . 85 . 2 . 1–5 . 2010 . 20822573 . 33195511 .
  10. Soliman . Maha F. M. . Epidemiological review of human and animal fascioliasis in Egypt . The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries . 2008 . 2 . 3 . 182–189 . 10.3855/jidc.260 . 19738348.
  11. Dar . Y. D. . Rondelaud . D. . Dreyfuss . G. . Fasciola gigantica: Larval productivity of sheep-derived miracidia in Radix natalensis and Galba truncatula . Journal of the Egyptian Society of Parasitology . 39 . 3 . 837–847 . 2009 . 20120750.
  12. Moema . E. B. . King . P. H. . Baker . C. . Cercariae developing in Lymnaea natalensis Krauss, 1848 collected in the vicinity of Pretoria, Gauteng Province, South Africa . The Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research . 75 . 3 . 215–223 . 2008 . 19040136 . 10.4102/ojvr.v75i3.97. free .
  13. Phiri . A. M. . Phiri . I. K. . Chota . A. . Monrad . J. . Trematode infections in freshwater snails and cattle from the Kafue wetlands of Zambia during a period of highest cattle–water contact . 10.1017/S0022149X07387786 . Journal of Helminthology . 81 . 1 . 85–92 . 2007 . 17381873 . 21491495 .
  14. Abd-Allah . K. F. . Saleh . M. H. . El-Hamshary . A. M. . Negm-Eldin . M. M. . El-Fakahany . A. F. . Abdel-Tawab . A. H. . Abdel-Maboud . A. I. . Aly . N. S. . Helobdella nilae and Alboglossiphonia conjugata leeches as biological agents for snails control . Journal of the Egyptian Society of Parasitology . 39 . 1 . 289–304 . 2009 . 19530628.
  15. 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.
  16. Massoud . A. M. . El-Shazly . A. M. . Nagaty . I. M. . Morsy . T. A. . Commiphora molmol extracts as plant molluscicide against Lymnaea natalensis . Journal of the Egyptian Society of Parasitology . 37 . 2 . 437–448 . 2007 . 17985579.
  17. Abd-Allah . K. F. . Negm-Eldin . M. M. . Saleh . M. H. . El-Hamshary . A. M. . El-Gozamy . B. M. . Aly . N. S. . A study on biological control of six fresh water snails of medical and veterinary importance . Journal of the Egyptian Society of Parasitology . 39 . 1 . 121–139 . 2009 . 19530615.
  18. Bourguignat J. R. (1883). "Histoire malacogie de l'abyssinie". Annales Des Sciences Naturelles (Zoologie) (6)15: 1 -162. 89, Plate 10, figs. 100–101.

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