Description
Shell
Drepanotrema cimex has a brown, translucent shell with visible growth lines. [6] [7] It is small, measuring between 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) in width on average, and 1.7 mm (0.067 in) in height. [6] [8] [9] Some specimens may grow as large as 11.5 mm (0.45 in). [7] The spire is very slightly concave, almost flat (more concave on the animal's right side). The aperture is oval-shaped and the lip points to the left strongly. There are between 6–7 whorls. The sutures between the whorls are fused more on the right side than the left. [6] [7]
Reproductive Tract
The ovotestes have between 25–50 diverticules, and the prostate gland has between 15–30. [10] There are two flagella attached to a verge sac (which attaches to the preputium). Both flagella are short, but one is significantly shorter and less developed than the other. The flagella share their lumen with the verge sac. The preputium is longer than the verge sac, and on the proximal side of its inner surface, possesses both cilia and large, droplet-secreting cells. A sarcobelum is present. [11]
Other Characteristics
This species has black markings on its body, as well as straight, black stripes along the length of their tentacles. The mantle cavity does not have renal or dorsal-rectal folds. [11]
Distribution, habitat, and ecology
The species is found across the Americas, including all of Canada, the United States (including Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands), the Bahamas, Jamaica, parts of Mexico, Panama, Venezuela, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina. [1] [4] It is considered an introduced species in the United States and Canada (except for U.S. Caribbean territories) , but is native along all other parts of its range. [1] [12]
Drepanotrema cimex may be found in streams, marshes, and even temporary ponds. It is highly associated with bodies of water that contain lots of vegetation, including those in the families Lemnoideae and Hydrocharitaceae, and the species Hydrocotyle ranunculoides , Canna glauca, and Typha latifolia . [8] [9] [13] [14] This species may be found in water temperatures between 12–27.5 °C (53.6–81.5 °F). Water temperature is especially significant for this species since population growth is affected primarily by temperature, with lower temperatures yielding faster growth. [9] Other habitat characteristics typical of this species include low pH and silty substrate. [13]
This species has been found to be very tolerant of man-made bodies of water and some amount of pollution, which increases its risk of becoming introduced. [1] [8] In Argentina, it was even found in a garbage dump site with high concentrations of ammonium and phosphates. [14]
D. cimex has been shown to be an intermediate host of at least 2 trematode parasites in the genus Cercaria , including Cercaria macrogranulosa . 16% of all individuals captured from Santa Catarina Island in Brazil were infected. [15]
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