Galba truncatula
Encyclopedia
Galba truncatula is a species
of air-breathing freshwater snail
, an aquatic
pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Lymnaeidae, the pond snails.
Until recently, this species was commonly known as Lymnaea truncatula.
is 5-10 mm and the width of the shell is 2.5-6 mm.
an countries and islands including:
and other areas.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of air-breathing freshwater snail
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....
, 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...
pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Lymnaeidae, the pond snails.
Until recently, this species was commonly known as Lymnaea truncatula.
Description
The height of the shellGastropod shell
The gastropod shell is a shell which is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, one kind of mollusc. The gastropod shell is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage...
is 5-10 mm and the width of the shell is 2.5-6 mm.
Distribution
This species is found in a variety of EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an countries and islands including:
- Croatia
- Czech Republic - least concern (LC)
- Germany - distributed in whole Germany but it is in 3 states in red list (Rote Liste BRD).
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Slovakia
- Ukraine
- Great Britain
- Ireland
and other areas.
Parasites
Galba truncatula is an intermediate host for these known trematodes:- Fasciola hepaticaFasciola hepaticaFasciola hepatica, also known as the common liver fluke or sheep liver fluke, is a parasitic flatworm of the class Trematoda, phylum Platyhelminthes that infects the livers of various mammals, including humans. The disease caused by the fluke is called fascioliasis . F...
, a liver flukeLiver flukeLiver flukes are a polyphyletic group of trematodes .Adults of liver flukes are localized in the liver of various mammals, including humans. These flatworms can occur in bile ducts, gallbladder, and liver parenchyma. They feed on blood...
of sheep - Fascioloides magnaFascioloides magnaFascioloides magna, also known as giant liver fluke, large American liver fluke or deer fluke, is an important parasite of a variety of wild and domestic ruminants in North America and Europe. Adult flukes occur in the liver of the definitive host and feed on blood...
- Haplometra cylindracea
- Muellerius capillarisMuellerius capillarisMuellerius capillaris , also known as hair lungworm, is nematode parasite of small ruminants. Adult worms occur in small air passages and in the alveoli, even in the subpleural tissue. In ruminants, parasite causes chronic bronchopneumonia. In case of massive infection or secondary bacterial...
Further reading
- Chapuis E. (2009) "Correlation between parasite prevalence and adult size in a trematode-mollusc system: evidence for evolutionary gigantism in the freshwater snail Galba truncatula?" Journal of Molluscan Studies 75(4): 391-396. doi:10.1093/mollus/eyp035.