Omphiscola glabra

Omphiscola glabra
A live individual of Omphiscola glabra on a paper grid, scale bar 1 cm
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Superorder: Hygrophila
Family: Lymnaeidae
Genus: Omphiscola
Species:
O. glabra
Binomial name
Omphiscola glabra
(Müller, 1774)[1]
Synonyms
  • Buccinum glabrum[2]
  • Lymnaea glabra[2]
  • Stagnicola glaber[2]

Omphiscola glabra, commonly known as the pond mud snail,[3] is a species of small to medium-size, air-breathing, freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Lymnaeidae.[4] Omphiscola glabra is the type species of the genus Omphiscola.[5]

Distribution

This European snail can be found from southern Scandinavia (61° N) to southern Spain.[6]

The distribution of Omphiscola glabra is very scattered and rare.[6] It is seriously threatened, and has become locally extinct in many places.[6] It is threatened by continuing habitat destruction because of drainage and intensive farming.[6] Acriculturally induced eutrophication is also a threat. Omphiscola glabra has disappeared widely from urbanized areas such as London.[6]

Drawing of the shell.

Shell description

The shell is strongly cylindrical, horny, often with a brownish or blackish surface, the apex is blunt, 7–8 moderately convex whorls, with last whorl being twice as high as the narrow aperture, and with aperture often with white lip.[6]

The height of the shell is 9–12 mm,[6] up to 15 mm[8] or up to 20 mm.[6] The width of the shell is 3–4 mm,[6] up to 5.5 mm.[8]

Five shells of Omphiscola glabra

Habitat

This snail lives in places such as swampy meadows and ditches.[9]

Omphiscola glabra is said to occur in small areas of standing water that have a lot of vegetation such as swamps, and also in standing forest waters with leaf litter, often in water with organic iron contents and low calcium contents.[6][clarification needed]

In Central France, the populations of Omphiscola glabra are currently declining because its habitat is threatened by modern agricultural practices.[10]

In Britain however, this species occurs in small standing waters that are low in nutrients, with poor aquatic flora, often in waters drying out periodically.[6] They usually do not occur in habitats with high molluscan diversity, and usually in habitats on uncultivated land.[6] They are calciphile and have a pH tolerance of 5.4–8.8.[6][clarification needed]

Reproduction begins in May.[6] Juveniles hatch after 15–25 days.[6] Omphiscola glabra has two generations per year.[6]

Parasites

Omphiscola glabra can serve as an intermediate host for several digenean trematodes. In France, Omphiscola glabra is naturally infected with Fasciola hepatica,[11] Calicophoron daubneyi,[12] and Haplometra cylindracea;[13] in all, seven digenean species parasitize O. glabra in the Brenne Regional Natural Park, central France.[14] Moreover, a report suggests that the species is also susceptible to Fascioloides magna infection.[15]

References

This article incorporates public domain text from the reference.[6]

  1. ^ Müller O. F. (1774). Vermivm terrestrium et fluviatilium, seu animalium infusoriorum, helminthicorum, et testaceorum, non marinorum, succincta historia. Volumen alterum. pp. I-XXXVI [= 1–36], 1–214, [1–10]. Havniae & Lipsiae. (Heineck & Faber).
  2. ^ a b c "Mud Pond Snail Omphiscola glabra". BioLib. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  3. ^ Joanna Lindsay; Laura Larkin (Spring 2020). "Marvellous mud snails". Environmental Education. 123: 18–19. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  4. ^ Glöer P. (2002). Überfamilie Lymnaeoidea Rafinesque 1815. Familie Lymnaeidae Lamarck 1812. In: Glöer P. (ed.) Die Süßwassergastropoden Nord-und Mitteleuropas. Bestimmungschlüssel, Lebensweise, Verbreitung. Die Tierwelt Deutschlands 73. Conchbooks, Hackenheim, pp. 200–232.
  5. ^ "Species in genus Omphiscola". AnimalBase, accessed 31 July 2010.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Species summary for Omphiscola glabra". AnimalBase. Last modified 24-02-2009, accessed 31 July 2010.
  7. ^ Anderson R. (2009). "Value of species datasets as baselines (non-marine Mollusca)" Archived 24 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine. accessed 31 July 2010.
  8. ^ a b (in Polish) Jackiewicz M. (2000). Blotniarky Europy (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Lymnaeidae). Wydawnictwo Kontekst, Poznań. 115 pp.
  9. ^ Rondelaud, D.; Vignoles, P.; Dreyfuss, G. (2009). "First field observations on the aestivation of Omphiscola glabra (Gastropoda, Lymnaeida) uninfected or infected with Fasciola hepatica in central France". Annales de Limnologie – International Journal of Limnology. 39 (2): 129–133. doi:10.1051/limn/2003010. ISSN 0003-4088.
  10. ^ Dreyfuss, Gilles; Vignoles, Philippe; Rondelaud, Daniel (2016). "Current decline in the number and size of Galba truncatula and Omphiscola glabra populations, intermediate hosts of Fasciola hepatica, on the acidic soils of Central France". Parasite. 23: 46. doi:10.1051/parasite/2016055. PMC 5086825. PMID 27774956. Open access icon
  11. ^ Dreyfuss, G.; Vignoles, P.; Rondelaud, D. (2003). "Natural infections of Omphiscola glabra (Lymnaeidae) with Fasciola hepatica in central France". Parasitology Research. 91 (6): 458–461. doi:10.1007/s00436-003-0892-8. ISSN 0932-0113. PMID 14564511. S2CID 6809011.
  12. ^ Abrous, M.; Rondelaud, D.; Dreyfuss, G.; Kabaret, J. (1999). "Infection of Lymnaea truncatula and Lymnaea glabra by Fasciola hepatica and Paramphistomum daubneyi in farms of central France". Vet. Res. 30 (1): 113–118. PMID 10081118.
  13. ^ Goumghar, M. D.; Abrous, M.; Ferdonnet, D.; Dreyfuss, G.; Rondelaud, D. (2000). "Prevalence of Haplometra cylindracea infection in three species of Lymnaea snails in central France". Parasitol. Res. 86 (4): 337–339. doi:10.1007/s004360050054. PMID 10780746. S2CID 31442019.
  14. ^ Rondelaud, Daniel; Vignoles, Philippe; Dreyfuss, Gilles (2015). "Larval trematode infections in Lymnaea glabra populations living in the Brenne Regional Natural Park, central France". Parasite. 22: 38. doi:10.1051/parasite/2015038. ISSN 1776-1042. PMC 4686325. PMID 26692260. Open access icon
  15. ^ Rondelaud, D.; Novobilský, A.; Vignoles, P.; Treuil, P.; Koudela, B.; Dreyfuss, G. (2006). "First studies on the susceptibility of Omphiscola glabra (Gastropoda: Lymnaeidae) from central France to Fascioloides magna". Parasitol. Res. 98 (4): 299–303. doi:10.1007/s00436-005-0067-x. PMID 16362339. S2CID 23827214.