''Biomphalaria'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of air-breathing

freshwater snail Freshwater snails are gastropod mollusks which live in fresh water. There are many different families. They are found throughout the world in various habitats, ranging from ephemeral pools to the largest lakes, and from small seeps and springs ...

s, aquatic

pulmonate Pulmonata or pulmonates, is an informal group (previously an order, and before that a subclass) of snails and slugs characterized by the ability to breathe air, by virtue of having a pallial lung instead of a gill, or gills. The group includ ...

gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

mollusk Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is e ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Planorbidae, the

ram Ram, ram, or RAM may refer to: Animals * A male sheep * Ram cichlid, a freshwater tropical fish People * Ram (given name) * Ram (surname) * Ram (director) (Ramsubramaniam), an Indian Tamil film director * RAM (musician) (born 1974), Dutch * ...

's horn

snail A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class Gastro ...

s and their allies.MolluscaBase (2018). Biomphalaria Preston, 1910. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=718742 on 2018-02-13 ''Biomphalaria'' is the

type genus In biological taxonomy, the type genus is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name. Zoological nomenclature According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearing type of a nominal f ...

of the tribe Biomphalariini. ''Taphius'' is a synonym for ''Biomphalaria''. The shell of this species, like all planorbids is sinistral in coiling, but is carried upside down and thus appears to be dextral. Biomphalaria tenagophila shell

Species

As of 2008 there were recognized 34 extant species in the genus ''Biomphalaria'' in total (22 American species and 12 Old World species). There were also described number of fossil ''Biomphalaria'' species. American species include: # '' Biomphalaria amazonica'' Paraense, 1966 # '' Biomphalaria andecola'' (d'Orbigny, 1835) # '' Biomphalaria cousini'' # '' Biomphalaria edisoni'' Estrada, Velásquez, Caldeira, Bejarano, Rojas & Carvalho, 2006 # ''

Biomphalaria glabrata ''Biomphalaria glabrata'' is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails. ''Biomphalaria glabrata'' is an intermediate snail host for the trematode ''Sch ...

'' (Say, 1818) # '' Biomphalaria havanensis'' (L. Pfeiffer, 1839) # '' Biomphalaria helophila'' (d'Orbigny, 1835) # '' Biomphalaria intermedia'' (Paraense & Deslandes, 1962)Rumi A., Gregoric D. E. G., Núñez V. & Darrigran G. A. (2008). "Malacología Latinoamericana. Moluscos de agua dulce de Argentina". '' Revista de Biología Tropical'' 56(1): 77–111
HTM
# ''

Biomphalaria kuhniana ''Biomphalaria kuhniana'' is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails. Shell description All species within the family Planorbidae have sinistral ...

'' (Clessin, 1883) # † '' Biomphalaria manya'' Cabrera & Martinez, 2018 # '' Biomphalaria obstructa'' # '' Biomphalaria occidentalis'' Paraense, 1981 # '' Biomphalaria oligoza'' Paraense, 1974 # '' Biomphalaria orbignyi'' Paraense, 1975 # ''

Biomphalaria peregrina ''Biomphalaria peregrina'' is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails. The shell of this species, like all planorbids is sinistral in coiling, but is ...

'' (d'Orbigny, 1835) # '' Biomphalaria prona'' # ''

Biomphalaria schrammi ''Biomphalaria schrammi'' is a species of gastropods belonging to the family Planorbidae Planorbidae, common name the ramshorn snails or ram's horn snails, is a family of air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod molluscs ...

'' (Crosse, 1864) # ''

Biomphalaria straminea ''Biomphalaria straminea'' is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails. This snail is a medically important pest, because an intermediate host for ...

'' (Dunker, 1848) # '' Biomphalaria subprona'' (Martens, 1899) # '' Biomphalaria temascalensis'' Rangel-Ruiz, 1987 # '' Biomphalaria tenagophila'' (d'Orbigny, 1835)

Old World The "Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia that originated in Europe , after Europeans became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia, which were previously thought of by the ...

(Africa, Madagascar and the Middle East) species include: # ''

Biomphalaria alexandrina ''Biomphalaria alexandrina'' is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails and their allies. Distribution This species occur in Egypt Habitat ''Bi ...

'' # '' Biomphalaria angulosa'' Mandahl-Barth, 1957 # '' Biomphalaria barthi'' Brown, 1973 # ''

Biomphalaria camerunensis ''Biomphalaria camerunensis'' is a species of gastropods belonging to the family Planorbidae Planorbidae, common name the ramshorn snails or ram's horn snails, is a family of air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod moll ...

'' # ''

Biomphalaria choanomphala ''Biomphalaria'' is a genus of air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails and their allies.MolluscaBase (2018). Biomphalaria Preston, 1910. Accessed through: World R ...

'' # ''

Biomphalaria pfeifferi ''Biomphalaria pfeifferi'' is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic animal pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails. This snail is a medically important pest, because of transferring the ...

'' (Krauss, 1848) # '' Biomphalaria salinarum'' Morelet # ''

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

'' Preston, 1910 - type species # ''

Biomphalaria stanleyi ''Biomphalaria stanleyi'' 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 in: * Lake Albert, Uganda ...

'' (Smith, 1888) # ''

Biomphalaria sudanica ''Biomphalaria sudanica'' is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod belonging to the family Planorbidae, the ram's horn snails. ''Biomphalaria sudanica'' has a discoidal, brown shell with an approximate she ...

'' (Martens, 1870) # '' Biomphalaria tchadiensis'' Germain, 1904 # '' Biomphalaria ruppellii'' Auet. - subspecies: ''Biomphalaria ruppellii ruppellii'' Auet.; ''Biomphalaria ruppellii katangae'' Haas There is one known

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

'' Biomphalaria glabrata × Biomphalaria alexandrina'' from Egypt. A

cladogram A cladogram (from Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an evolutionary tree because it does not show how ancestors are related to d ...

showing phylogenic relations of (23 analyzed) species in the genus ''Biomphalaria'':
text

Distribution

The origin of the genus ''Biomphalaria'' is American. The ancestor of ''

'' colonized Africa 2.3–4.5 or 2-5/ millions years ago and speciated into all the African ''Biomphalaria'' species. Natural populations of these snails are usually found in tropical standing water or freshwater in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, but they also reach 30° latitude in subtropical areas. Many species of these red-blooded planorbid snails (Gastropoda: Basommatophora) are able to survive a long time when removed from their freshwater habitat. Of the 34 ''Biomphalaria'' species, 4 (''

'', ''

'', and '' Biomphalaria tenagophila'') have recently expanded their native ranges. They have been introduced to areas where other ''Biomphalaria'' species are endemic (e.g., Congo and Egypt) or to subtropical zones that have no frost period (Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Hong Kong). All species in the genus ''Biomphalaria'' except of native '' Biomphalaria obstructa'' has not yet become established in the US, but they are considered to represent a potentially serious threat as a pest, an

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

which could negatively affect agriculture, natural ecosystems, human health or commerce. Therefore, it has been suggested that this species be given top national

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...

significance in the USA.

Parasites

This genus of snails is medically important, because the snails can carry a parasite of humans which represents a serious disease risk: the snails serve as an

intermediate host In biology and medicine, a host is a larger organism that harbours a smaller organism; whether a parasitic, a mutualistic, or a commensalist ''guest'' (symbiont). The guest is typically provided with nourishment and shelter. Examples include a ...

(

vector Vector most often refers to: *Euclidean vector, a quantity with a magnitude and a direction *Vector (epidemiology), an agent that carries and transmits an infectious pathogen into another living organism Vector may also refer to: Mathematic ...

) for the human parasitic

blood fluke ''Schistosoma'' is a genus of trematodes, commonly known as blood flukes. They are parasitic flatworms responsible for a highly significant group of infections in humans termed '' schistosomiasis'', which is considered by the World Health Orga ...

, ''

Schistosoma mansoni A paired couple of ''Schistosoma mansoni''. ''Schistosoma mansoni'' is a water-borne parasite of humans, and belongs to the group of blood flukes (''Schistosoma''). The adult lives in the blood vessels ( mesenteric veins) near the human inte ...

'', that infects about 83 million people. The human disease

schistosomiasis Schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever, bilharzia, and Katayama fever, is a disease caused by parasitic flatworms called schistosomes. The urinary tract or the intestines may be infected. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody s ...

(aka snail fever) caused by all ''

Schistosoma ''Schistosoma'' is a genus of trematodes, commonly known as blood flukes. They are parasitic flatworms responsible for a highly significant group of infections in humans termed '' schistosomiasis'', which is considered by the World Health Organ ...

'' species (transmitted also by other snails) infects 200 million people.The Carter Cente
"Schistosomiasis Control Program"
Accessed 20 November 2009. The fluke, which is found primarily in tropical areas, infects mammals (including humans) via contact with water that contains schistosome larvae (cercariae) which have previously been released from the snail. Infection occurs via penetration of cercariae through the skin. Eighteen species of ''Biomphalaria'' are intermediate hosts for ''Schistosoma mansoni''; seven species of the genus have not been tested for this susceptibility and nine species are resistant. Altogether about 30 species of parasites from Africa and at least 20 species from the

Neotropics The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropics, tropical Ecoregion#Terrestrial, terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperat ...

are known to parasitize ''Biomphalaria''.

References

This article incorporates

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

text from the Majoros ''et al.'' reference.

Species

Distribution

Parasites

References

Further reading