Planorbarius metidjensis

Planorbarius metidjensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Superorder:	Hygrophila
Family:	Planorbidae
Subfamily:	Planorbinae
Tribe:	Coretini
Genus:	Planorbarius
Species:	P. metidjensis
Binomial name
Planorbarius metidjensis (Forbes, 1838) [1]
European range according to Francisco Welter-Schultes (2012) [2]
Synonyms
Planorbarius (Deserticoretus) metidjensis(Forbes, 1838) Planorbarius dufourii(Graells, 1846) Planorbis dufouriiGraells, 1846 Planorbis metidjensisForbes, 1838

Planorbarius metidjensis is a species of freshwater lung snail. ^[3]

Experiments confirmed it to be a host of Schistosoma parasites, although the freshwater snail Bulinus truncatus has been known much longer as a carrier of schistosomiasis. ^[4]

Description

The snail measures 8 mm (0.31 in) by 16 to 18 mm (0.63 to 0.71 in). The shell is light yellowish, while the periostracum is brown, reddish or greenish. The body is nearly black with a grey foot and tentacles. ^[5]

Schistosomiasis transmission

While P. metidjensis has been successfully infected with Schistosoma haematobium in the laboratory, in Morocco, no free-living infected snails have been found during a survey. ^[6] Likewise, in the laboratory, snail specimens from Portugal and Salamanca were found to be very susceptible to infections by Schistosoma bovis strains gathered from the Salamanca region, but the 1977 study urged a prevalence survey of free-living snails. ^[7]

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. ^[8]

Distribution and habitat

The snail occurs in southwestern Morocco ^[4] as well as in Algarve (Portugal) and Salamanca (Spain). ^[7]

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 per liter. It was often found together with Ancylus fluviatilis river snails. ^[4]

References

1. Probably Annals of Natural History, vol. ii. p. 250
2. Welter-Schultes, Francisco (2012). European non-marine molluscs, a guide for species identification. Planet Poster. ISBN   978-3-933922-75-5.
3. 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
4. Yacoubi, B (2007-03-06). "Habitats of Bulinus truncatus and Planorbarius metidjensis, the intermediate hosts of urinary schistosomosis, under a semiarid or an arid clima". Parasitology Research . 101: 311–316. doi:10.1007/s00436-007-0500-4.
5. "Planorbarius metidjensis (Forbes, 1838)". AnimalBase. Göttingen University, Germany. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
6. Yacoubi, B (2020-03-22). "Étude rétrospective sur Planorbarius metidjensis et son rôle comme hôte intermédiaire potentiel dans la transmission de Schistosoma haematobium dans la région du Souss-Massa (Maroc)" [A Retrospective Study on Planorbarius metidjensis and Its Role as a Potential Intermediate Host in the Transmission of Schistosoma haematobium in the Souss-Massa Region (Morocco)]. Bulletin de la Société de Pathologie Exotique (in French): 113:123–129. doi: 10.3166/bspe-2020-0111 .
7. Silva, ML (1977-01-01). "Susceptibility of Planorbarius metidjensis from Portugal and Spain to Schistosoma bovis from Salamanca, Spain". Malacologia . 16 (1): 251–254. PMID   904368.
8. Kincaid-Smith, Julien (2021-12-03). "Morphological and genomic characterisation of the Schistosoma hybrid infecting humans in Europe reveals admixture between Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma bovis". PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 15 (12). doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010062 . hdl: 10261/258654 . PMC   8741037 .

• Brown D.S. (1994). Freshwater snails of Africa and their medical importance, 2nd edition. London: Taylor and Francis, 607 p.

page(s): 217, fig. 101c

External 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