Characterisation of Pseudosuccinea columella and Radix natalensis (Gastropoda: Lymnaeidae) in Egypt using shell and molecular data

ABSTRACT

Pseudosuccinea columella and Radix natalensis live in the same habitat in Egypt and are important intermediate hosts of Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica. Our study aimed to characterise both snail species using molecular analysis and shell measurements. The ranges of morphometric parameters overlapped in the two lymnaeids, indicating that they do not clearly differentiate the two species. PCR-sequence analysis of the nuclear ribosomal small subunit rRNA and the polymorphic mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) genes were used to determine the genetic identity and the potential diversity of the snails. Little intrasequence variations were detected in the sequences of both gene loci, indicating the potential homogeneity of lymnaeid populations in Egypt. Generated sequences of the mitochondrial CO1 gene locus for R. natalensis showed obvious heterogeneity compared to other sequences in GenBank. Molecular characterisation of these lymnaeids might help to understand the snails’ biodiversity in a bid to control these populations and their related diseases.

KEYWORDS:

• Conchology
• Fasciola host
• snails
• taxonomy

Acknowledgements

The authors are very grateful to Dr Daniel Rondelaud, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Limoges, France, for critical revision of the manuscript and Dr Philippe Vignoles, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Limoges, France, for his assistance in the statistical analyses. Thanks are also due to the anonymous reviewers for their constructive and informative comments which improved the quality of this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.