Biomphalaria sudanica

Biomphalaria sudanica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
(unranked):	clade Heterobranchia clade Euthyneura clade Panpulmonata clade Hygrophila
Superfamily:	Planorboidea
Family:	Planorbidae
Subfamily:	Planorbinae
Tribe:	Biomphalariini
Genus:	Biomphalaria
Species:	B. sudanica
Binomial name
Biomphalaria sudanica (Martens, 1870)

Biomphalaria sudanica is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails.

Distribution

This species is African, and occurs mainly in East Africa:

• Lake Victoria, Kenya, Uganda, (Tanzania)
• Lake Ziway, Ethiopia
• Lake Albert, Uganda. (Lake Albert is between Uganda and Democratic Republic of the Congo)
• Lake Kyoga, Uganda
• 13 crater lakes in western Uganda (listed as "Biomphalaria pfeifferi/sudanica" in these crater lakes)

Phylogeny

A cladogram showing the phylogenic relations of species in the genus Biomphalaria:

Biomphalaria

Biomphalaria stanleyi Biomphalaria pfeifferi Biomphalaria camerunensis Nilotic species complex Biomphalaria sudanica Biomphalaria choanomphala Biomphalaria alexandrina Biomphalaria smithi Biomphalaria glabrata Biomphalaria straminea complex Biomphalaria kuhniana Biomphalaria straminea Biomphalaria straminea Biomphalaria intermedia Biomphalaria amazonica Biomphalaria sp. Biomphalaria tenagophila Biomphalaria occidentalis Biomphalaria prona Biomphalaria andecola Biomphalaria sp. (? Biomphalaria havanensis) Biomphalaria sp. (? Biomphalaria havanensis) Biomphalaria temascalensis Biomphalaria obstructa Biomphalaria helophila Biomphalaria peregrina Biomphalaria schrammi

Ecology

Biomphalaria sudanica is found in shallow water near the shoreline in Lake Albert. Despite being a pulmonate, Biomphalaria sudanica is well adapted to use the oxygen from water (but not as well as Planorbis). This ability is useful for living in swamp habitats.

The population density of Biomphalaria sudanica varies during the year. The highest population density of Biomphalaria sudanica is in Lake Ziway, Ethiopia from June to August, at the end of rainy season.

The higher densities of Biomphalaria sudanica occur in habitats with the Common Water Hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes in Lake Victoria.

It was experimentally detected under laboratory conditions that shells of Biomphalaria sudanica are bigger in waters with higher concentration of calcium than in waters with low calcium.

Parasites

Biomphalaria sudanica is an intermediate host for Schistosoma mansoni and for Schistosoma rodhaini.

Infestation with schistosomes in the Lake Victoria basin is about 1%, but can be up to 50% in the case of Schistosoma mansoni and up to 6% in Schistosoma rodhaini in some localities.

Further reading

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