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Summary
A description is given of Bulinus hightoni, a new species of freshwater snail belonging to the B. africanus (Krauss) group (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Planorbidae). The new species is known from seasonal pools in the lower Tana river region of northeast Kenya. Information is given about morphological characters, and biological features studied in a laboratory-bred colony, including egg proteins, enzymes and susceptibility to Schistosoma haematobium. B. hightoni is remarkably small for the B. africanus group and lacks the characteristic renal ridge, but the immunological responses of its egg proteins support its classification in this group. It is concluded that B. hightoni is not related particularly closely to other species which display unusual characters for the B. africanus group. B. hightoni is susceptible to infection with a variety of terminal-spined schistosomes including S. haematobium. Its possible role in transmission of human schistosomiasis (Bilharziasis) is discussed.