Bulinus abyssinicus
Encyclopedia
Bulinus abyssinicus is a species of tropical freshwater snail
with a sinistral shell, an aquatic
gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae
, the ramshorn snails and their allies.
The specific name abyssinicus is after Abyssinia
, which was the historic name for the Ethiopian Empire
, where its type locality is.
The type locality is "southern Abyssinia
", which means the Ethiopian Empire
, now Ethiopia.
The diploid chromosome number is 2n = 36.
This species is an intermediate host
for Schistosoma bovis and for Schistosoma haematobium
.
Freshwater snail
A freshwater snail is one kind of freshwater mollusc, the other kind being freshwater clams and mussels, i.e. freshwater bivalves. Specifically a freshwater snail is a gastropod that lives in a watery non-marine habitat. The majority of freshwater gastropods have a shell, with very few exceptions....
with a sinistral shell, an aquatic
Aquatic animal
An aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life. It may breathe air or extract its oxygen from that dissolved in water through specialised organs called gills, or directly through its skin. Natural environments and the animals that...
gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae
Planorbidae
Planorbidae, common name the ramshorn snails or ram's horn snails, is a family of air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusks....
, the ramshorn snails and their allies.
The specific name abyssinicus is after Abyssinia
Ethiopian Empire
The Ethiopian Empire also known as Abyssinia, covered a geographical area that the present-day northern half of Ethiopia and Eritrea covers, and included in its peripheries Zeila, Djibouti, Yemen and Western Saudi Arabia...
, which was the historic name for the Ethiopian Empire
Ethiopian Empire
The Ethiopian Empire also known as Abyssinia, covered a geographical area that the present-day northern half of Ethiopia and Eritrea covers, and included in its peripheries Zeila, Djibouti, Yemen and Western Saudi Arabia...
, where its type locality is.
Distribution
The distribution of Bulinus abyssinicus includes the Lower Valley of the Awash, Ethiopia and Somalia.The type locality is "southern Abyssinia
Ethiopian Empire
The Ethiopian Empire also known as Abyssinia, covered a geographical area that the present-day northern half of Ethiopia and Eritrea covers, and included in its peripheries Zeila, Djibouti, Yemen and Western Saudi Arabia...
", which means the Ethiopian Empire
Ethiopian Empire
The Ethiopian Empire also known as Abyssinia, covered a geographical area that the present-day northern half of Ethiopia and Eritrea covers, and included in its peripheries Zeila, Djibouti, Yemen and Western Saudi Arabia...
, now Ethiopia.
Description
The width of the shell is 9 mm. The height of the shell is 14 mm.The diploid chromosome number is 2n = 36.
Ecology
This small snail lives in marshes and in pools.This species is an intermediate host
Intermediate host
A secondary host or intermediate host is a host that harbors the parasite only for a short transition period, during which some developmental stage is completed. For trypanosomes, the cause of sleeping sickness, humans are the primary host, while the tsetse fly is the secondary host...
for Schistosoma bovis and for Schistosoma haematobium
Schistosoma haematobium
Schistosoma haematobium is an important digenetic trematode, and is found in the Middle East, India, Portugal and Africa. It is a major agent of schistosomiasis; more specifically, it is associated with urinary schistosomiasis....
.
Further reading
- Ahmed M. D., Upatham E. S., Brockelman W. Y. & Viyanant V. (1986). "Population responses of the snail Bulinus (P.) abyssinicus to differing initial social and crowding conditions". Malacological Review 19: 83-89.
- Maffi M. (1960). "Primo reperto ne basso oltregiuba, Somalia, dei Molluschi d’aqua dolce: Bulinus (P.) abyssinicus, etc." Parassitologia 2: 191-206.
- Upatham E. S., Koura M., Ahmed M. D. & Awad A. H. (1981). "Studies on the transmission of S. haematobium and the bionomics of Bulinus (P.) abyssinicus in the Somali Democratic Republic". Annals of Tropical Medicine and ParasitologyAnnals of Tropical Medicine and ParasitologyAnnals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology is a peer reviewed medical journal published by Maney Publishing. It publishes reviews, historical perspectives, original articles, book reviews, and other features covering tropical disease, including microbiology, epidemiology, molecular biology,...
75: 63-69.