Biomphalaria choanomphala
Apical and apertural view of Biomphalaria choanomphala.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Superorder: Hygrophila
Family: Planorbidae
Genus: Biomphalaria
Species:
B. choanomphala
Binomial name
Biomphalaria choanomphala
(E.von Martens, 1879)

Biomphalaria choanomphala is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails. Biomphalaria choanomphala has a discoidal, brownish-yellow shell with an approximate shell diameter of 6–10 mm. Biomphalaria choanomphala is a medically important pest,[1] due to it being an intermediate host of the intravascular trematode genus, Schistosoma.[2]

Habitat and distribution

Biomphalaria choanomphala is an African species found in freshwater habitats such as rivers, streams, and ponds.[1] Their head has a pair of tentacles with eyes at the base, and a siphon for breathing and waste elimination. It is known to prefer slow-moving water with vegetation, where it feeds on algae and detritus.

Distribution of Biomphalaria choanomphala include:

Ecology and behavior

Biomphalaria choanomphala is known to be an intermediate host for the parasitic flatworms Schistosoma mansoni, which is responsible for causing intestinal schistosomiasis in humans. The snail's role as an intermediate host allows the parasite to complete its life cycle and infect humans who come into contact with contaminated water sources where it inhabits.

In addition to its role in transmitting parasites, Biomphalaria choanomphala also plays an important ecological role in its freshwater habitat. The snail feeds on algae and detritus, helping to regulate the nutrient balance of the ecosystem. It also serves as a food source for many predators, including fish, birds, and other invertebrates.

Conservation status and biological importance

Biomphalaria choanomphala is not considered a threatened species, and its population is stable in its native range. However, the species' role as an intermediate host for schistosomiasis makes it an important target for disease control programs. Constant efforts are underway to reduce the incidence of schistosomiasis by controlling the snail population through chemical treatments and biological control methods.

Phylogeny

Biomphalaria choanomphala is a part of the "Nilotic Species Complex" alongside B. alexandrina, B. angulosa, B. smithi, B. stanleyi and B. sudanica.[4]

Phylogenetic tree of the African Biomphalaria species [4]

Ecological phenotypes

Biomphalaria choanomphala has been the subject of multiple ecological and genetic studies, which have revealed its shell morphology can vary as a result of environmental factors.[5][6] Several studies have shown that B. choanomphala snails found within Lake Victoria have very different conchological morphologies, but are very similar genetically, suggesting these snails are likely a single species expressing two ecophenotypes.[7][8]

Previous conchological morphology studies of Biomphalaria snails have categorised their species based on whether they exhibited a “lacustrine” (found within a lake) or a “non-lacustrine” shell morphology (found elsewhere).[9][10][11] In the case of B. choanomphala, its commonly associated with having a lacustrine morphotype (morphotype-B), while the non-lacustrine morphotype (morphotype-A) is commonly mistaken for another African Biomphalaria species, B. sudanica.[7][8][11]

Ecological phenotypes (ecophenotypes) of Biomphalaria choanomphala[11]

References

  1. 1 2 Pointier, J. P.; David, P.; Jarne, P. (2005). "Biological invasions: The case of planorbid snails". Journal of Helminthology. 79 (3): 249–256. doi:10.1079/JOH2005292. PMID 16153319. S2CID 11158571.
  2. ↑ 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. doi:10.1016/1049-9644(91)90065-8.
  3. ↑ Standley, Claire J; Goodacre, Sara L; Wade, Christopher M; Stothard, J Russell (December 2014). "The population genetic structure of Biomphalaria choanomphala in Lake Victoria, East Africa: implications for schistosomiasis transmission". Parasites & Vectors. 7 (1): 524. doi:10.1186/s13071-014-0524-4. ISSN 1756-3305. PMC 4254209. PMID 25406437.
  4. 1 2 JØRGENSEN, ASLAK; KRISTENSEN, THOMAS K.; STOTHARD, J. RUSSELL (October 2007). "Phylogeny and biogeography of African Biomphalaria (Gastropoda: Planorbidae), with emphasis on endemic species of the great East African lakes". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 151 (2): 337–349. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2007.00330.x. ISSN 1096-3642.
  5. ↑ Standley, Claire J.; Wade, Chris; Stothard, J. Russell (2011-10-24). "A Fresh Insight into Transmission of Schistosomiasis: A Misleading Tale of Biomphalaria in Lake Victoria". PLOS ONE. 6 (10): e26563. Bibcode:2011PLoSO...626563S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0026563. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 3200340. PMID 22046308.
  6. ↑ Standley, Claire J.; Vounatsou, Penelope; Gosoniu, Laura; Jørgensen, Aslak; Adriko, Moses; Lwambo, Nicholas J. S.; Lange, Charles N.; Kabatereine, Narcis B.; Stothard, J. Russell (2012-01-03). "The distribution of Biomphalaria (Gastropoda: Planorbidae) in Lake Victoria with ecological and spatial predictions using Bayesian modelling". Hydrobiologia. 683 (1): 249–264. doi:10.1007/s10750-011-0962-3. ISSN 0018-8158. S2CID 254549615.
  7. 1 2 Standley, Claire J; Goodacre, Sara L; Wade, Christopher M; Stothard, J Russell (2014-11-19). "The population genetic structure of Biomphalaria choanomphala in Lake Victoria, East Africa: implications for schistosomiasis transmission". Parasites & Vectors. 7 (1): 524. doi:10.1186/s13071-014-0524-4. ISSN 1756-3305. PMC 4254209. PMID 25406437. S2CID 255983772.
  8. 1 2 Zhang, Si-Ming; Bu, Lijing; Laidemitt, Martina R.; Lu, Lijun; Mutuku, Martin W.; Mkoji, Gerald M.; Loker, Eric S. (2018-05-09). "Complete mitochondrial and rDNA complex sequences of important vector species of Biomphalaria, obligatory hosts of the human-infecting blood fluke, Schistosoma mansoni". Scientific Reports. 8 (1): 7341. Bibcode:2018NatSR...8.7341Z. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-25463-z. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 5943310. PMID 29743617.
  9. ↑ DeJong, Randall J.; Morgan, Jess A. T.; Paraense, W. Lobato; Pointier, Jean-Pierre; Amarista, Manuel; Ayeh-Kumi, Patrick F. K.; Babiker, Ahmed; Barbosa, Constança S.; Brémond, Philippe; Pedro Canese, Andrés; de Souza, Cecilia Pereira; Dominguez, Claudio; File, Sharon; Gutierrez, Alfredo; Incani, R. Nino (2001-12-01). "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. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a003769. ISSN 1537-1719. PMID 11719572.
  10. ↑ Plam, Maria; Jørgensen, Aslak; Kristensen, Thomas K.; Madsen, Henry (April 2008). "SympatricBiomphalariaspecies (Gastropoda: Planorbidae) in Lake Albert, Uganda, show homoplasies in shell morphology". African Zoology. 43 (1): 34–44. doi:10.1080/15627020.2008.11407404. ISSN 1562-7020. S2CID 84525018.
  11. 1 2 3 Andrus, Peter S; Stothard, J Russell; Kabatereine, Narcis B; Wade, Christopher M (2023-07-21). "Comparing shell size and shape with canonical variate analysis of sympatric Biomphalaria species within Lake Albert and Lake Victoria, Uganda". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 199 (3): 713–722. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad052. ISSN 0024-4082.
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