Biomphalaria pfeifferi
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| Biomphalaria pfeifferi | |
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| Drawing of apical, apertural and umbilical view of the shell of Biomphalaria pfeifferi. | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Superorder: | Hygrophila |
| Family: | Planorbidae |
| Genus: | Biomphalaria |
| Species: | B. pfeifferi |
| Binomial name | |
| Biomphalaria pfeifferi | |
Biomphalaria pfeifferi is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic animal pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails.
This snail is a medically important pest,[2] because of transferring the disease schistosomiasis.[3]
Biomphalaria pfeifferi is an African species. It has recently expanded its native range to the Arabian Peninsula and Madagascar.[2]
Distribution of Biomphalaria pfeifferi include:
- Western Africa: Senegal[4]
- Eastern Africa: Kenya[3]
- Southern Africa: Botswana[5] and South Africa.[1]
The type locality is in Umgeni Valley, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa[1] (in the times of the description it was the British Colony of Natal).
Phylogeny
A cladogram showing phylogenic relations of species in the genus Biomphalaria:[6]
| Biomphalaria |
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Mating system
B. pfeifferi is hermaphroditic, and genetic analyses performed both at the family and population levels indicate high self-fertilization rates.[7] However, B. pfeifferi exhibits only a low level of inbreeding depression.[7]
Ecology
Biomphalaria pfeifferi can survive up to 16 hours in anaerobic water using lactic acid fermentation.[8]
In Kenya, B. pfeifferi is positively associated with the common blue water-lily Nymphaea caerulea (the two species occur together).[3]
Parasites
Parasites of Biomphalaria pfeifferi include the following 11 species found in Tanzania:[9]
- Schistosoma mansoni[9][10]
- undescribed clinostomatid[9]
- two species undescribed strigea[9]
- Cercaria porteri[9]
- Cercaria blukwa[9]
- two species of undescribed echinostome[9]
- Cercaria lileta[9]
- Cercaria obscurior[9]
- Cercaria bulla[9]