Pseudosuccinea columella
Species of gastropod
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pseudosuccinea columella, the American ribbed fluke snail, is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Lymnaeidae, the pond snails.
| Pseudosuccinea columella | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Mollusca |
| Class: | Gastropoda |
| Superorder: | Hygrophila |
| Family: | Lymnaeidae |
| Genus: | Pseudosuccinea |
| Species: | P. columella |
| Binomial name | |
| Pseudosuccinea columella | |
| Synonyms[3] | |
|
Lymnaea columella Say, 1817 | |
This snail is an intermediate host for Fasciola hepatica, the liver fluke, a parasite of livestock, especially sheep.[5]
Distribution
Indigenous
Pseudosuccinea columella is native to North America.[6] and Europe.[7] The indigenous distribution of Pseudosuccinea columella reaches from New Brunswick and south Manitoba throughout the eastern US to Central and South America.[8]
The exact type locality for this species is unknown, but it is somewhere in the Philadelphia area, US.[9]
Introduced
This snail has been introduced to Australia[6] and Europe.[7]
The non-indigenous distribution of Pseudosuccinea columella includes:
- western US[8] (distribution map in the US)
- Puerto Rico[9]
- Venezuela[9]
- Brazil:[9] Rio Grande do Sul[10]
- Argentina[9]
- Australia[6][8]
- South Africa[8][11] – since 1942[9]
- Zimbabwe [12][13][14]
- other countries in Africa[9]
- Pacific islands[9]
Europe:
Description
The shell quite closely resembles shells in the genus Succinea, which belongs to a different family.
The shell of Pseudosuccinea columella is horny brown, thin, translucent, fragile and very finely striated. The apex is pointed. The shell has 3.5–4 weakly convex whorls with a shallow suture. The last whorl predominates. The aperture is ovate. The upper palatal margin descends steeply. The columellar margin is reflected only at its upper section; the lower columellar margin sharp and straight.[8]
The width of the shell is 8–13 mm. The height of the shell is 15–20 mm.[8]
 |
 |
The animal is dusky with whitish spots. The eyes are small and black and are located at the inner base of the tentacles.[8]
Habitat
In North America, Pseudosuccinea columella lives in stagnant waters, at the edges of lakes, ponds, muddy and sluggish streams, among lily pads and reeds on sticks and mud.[8]
In Europe it occurs predominantly in greenhouses, but also sometimes in outdoor habitats (Austria, Hungary).[8] It needs warm water and does not survive Central European winter temperatures.[8] It is also found above the water on floating leaves of aquatic plants; in northern Greece it was found in a spring near a road.[8]
Parasites
Parasites of Pseudosuccinea columella include:
- In North America, Pseudosuccinea columella is major intermediate host of Fasciola hepatica.[5][19]
- The species also serve as a snail host for Fascioloides magna.[20]
- Also serves as host for Fasciola gigantica [21] & Fasciola nyanzae [22][13]
- Also serves as a host for the cercariae of the trematode Telorchis sp.[23]
