''Galba truncatula'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

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 ...

, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod

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 es ...

in the family Lymnaeidae, the pond snails.Neubauer, Thomas A. (2014). Galba (Galba) truncatula (Müller, 1774). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=822446 on 2014-11-17 Until recently, this species was known as ''Lymnaea truncatula''. ''Galba truncatula'' is the vector mainly involved in fascioliasis transmission to humans.

Distribution

''Galba truncatula'' is believed to be native to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

, but it has been introduced in other parts of world. Currently, ''Galba truncatula'' is commonly distributed in all European countries, including most Mediterranean islands such as Corsica,

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

, the

Azores ) , motto= ( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem=( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

, the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic archipelago, island group and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotlan ...

, the Balearic Islands, and the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Mo ...

. Despite the fact that ''Galba truncatula'' has spread worldwide, exact distribution maps of the species are not available. In addition, most reports are based on morphological determination of the snail. Molecular evidences on the presence of ''Galba truncatula'' from non-European areas are limited. ''Galba truncatula'' has also been found in

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''no ...

and

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 souther ...

, several parts of

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 ...

, and

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...

. In South America, the presence of ''Galba truncatula'' has already been molecularly verified in

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in ...

. In Africa, ''Galba truncatula'' is present mainly in Northern parts (i.e.

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , religi ...

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...

) but also in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

, Ethiopia,

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

, and

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

. In Asia, the snail occurs in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...

but other Asian countries were reported very rarely. ''Galba truncatula'' was found in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkm ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

and India.

Description

The height of the shell is 5–10 mm and the width of the shell is 2.5–6 mm. The maximum length of the shell is 12.00 mm. Whorls are stepped. The

columella Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella (; Arabic: , 4 – ) was a prominent writer on agriculture in the Roman Empire. His ' in twelve volumes has been completely preserved and forms an important source on Roman agriculture, together with the ...

is folded. Tentacles are wider and with a wide base. Eyes are small.

Mantle A mantle is a piece of clothing, a type of cloak. Several other meanings are derived from that. Mantle may refer to: *Mantle (clothing), a cloak-like garment worn mainly by women as fashionable outerwear **Mantle (vesture), an Eastern Orthodox ve ...

roof shows larger unpigmented whitish spots giving a pale appearance to the shell of living specimens by transparency. The first bilateral teeth is tricuspid in

radula The radula (, ; plural radulae or radulas) is an anatomical structure used by molluscs for feeding, sometimes compared to a tongue. It is a minutely toothed, chitinous ribbon, which is typically used for scraping or cutting food before the food ...

. The praeputium/penis sheath length ratio is 2.50–5.90 mm (mean 3.44 mm). Two species that have a similar morphology: ''

Galba neotropica ''Galba neotropica'' is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic animal, aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Lymnaeidae, the pond snails. This species was described as ''Lymnaea neotropica'' in 2007. However, it belon ...

'' and ''

Galba schirazensis ''Galba schirazensis'' is a species of air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic animal, aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Lymnaeidae, the pond snails. Taxonomy This species was originally described by German malacologist Hein ...

''. Although several phenotypic characteristics may a priori be helpful for a preliminary specimen classification, a definitive classification of a specimen can only be obtained by the

sequencing In genetics and biochemistry, sequencing means to determine the primary structure (sometimes incorrectly called the primary sequence) of an unbranched biopolymer. Sequencing results in a symbolic linear depiction known as a sequence which succi ...

of at least one of the molecular markers used:

ITS-2 Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) is the spacer DNA situated between the small-subunit ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and large-subunit rRNA genes in the chromosome or the corresponding transcribed region in the polycistronic rRNA precursor transcript. ...

ITS-1 Internal transcribed spacer (ITS) is the spacer DNA situated between the small-subunit ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and large-subunit rRNA genes in the chromosome or the corresponding transcribed region in the polycistronic rRNA precursor transcript. I ...

, 16S and cox1. Moreover, mixed populations of ''Galba truncatula'' and ''Galba schirazensis'' have already been described in the field.

Ecology

Habitat

''Galba truncatula'' can occupy both temporary and permanent freshwater ecosystems. The species occurs commonly in shallow well aerated water, in marshes, ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, water ditches.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. In France, the populations of ''Galba truncatula'' are declining because its habitat is threatened by modern agricultural practices. In case of larger water bodies, the snail occurs mostly on the edge between water and land, sometimes outside water layer on mud. ''Galba truncatula'' can be very abundant, with high population densities and it has an evident

anthropophily In parasitology, anthropophilia, from the Greek ἅνθρωπος (anthrōpos, "human being") and φιλία (philia, "friendship" or "love"), is a preference of a parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one o ...

including usual presence in human neighbourhood. ''Galba truncatula'' is amphibious organism and can survive long dry periods. This is caused by its high ability to aestivate during drought conditions. It is known that ''Galba truncatula'' can survive 6 weeks to 4.5 months of dry periods in aestivated stage in mud. In the laboratory cultures, Kendall (1949) observed survival over 1 year in Petri dishes without water. The species requires alkaline pH (pH range 7.0 up to 9.6) Nilsson C., Ericsson U., Medin M., Sundberg I. (1998). ''Sötvattenssnäckor i södra Sverige – en jämförelse med 1940-talet''. Naturvårdsverket Rapport 4903. and

calcium Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar t ...

content over 0.3 mekv/L. ''Galba truncatula'' can live at a very high altitude such as in the Northern Bolivian

Altiplano The Altiplano (Spanish for "high plain"), Collao ( Quechua and Aymara: Qullaw, meaning "place of the Qulla") or Andean Plateau, in west-central South America, is the most extensive high plateau on Earth outside Tibet. The plateau is located a ...

(an area located between 3800 and 4100 m high altitude).

Feeding habits

''Galba truncatula'' feed on

algae Algae ( , ; : alga ) are any of a large and diverse group of photosynthetic, eukaryotic organisms. The name is an informal term for a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from ...

and fresh or decomposed parts of plants. Beran L. (1998) ''Vodní měkkýši ČR''. Metodika ČSOP 17, ČSOP Vlašim, 113 pp.

Life cycle

In Europe, it has usually 2 generations per year and snails can live up to 2 years. Jackiewicz M. (2000). ''Blotniarky Europy (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Lymnaeidae)''. Wydawnictwo Kontekst, Poznań. 115 pp. During very wet years, the species can produce occasionally 3 generations per year. They are hatching from eggs. The shape of egg cluster is rounded to oval shape even when containing more eggs. There are usually 2–15 eggs in cluster.

Parasites

''Galba truncatula'' is an intermediate host for these known

trematode Trematoda is a Class (biology), class of flatworms known as flukes. They are obligate parasite, obligate internal Parasitism, parasites with a complex biological life cycle, life cycle requiring at least two Host_(biology), hosts. The intermedia ...

s and nematodes: * '' Fasciola hepatica'' * '' Fasciola gigantica'' * ''

Fascioloides magna ''Fascioloides magna'', also known as giant liver fluke, large American liver fluke or deer fluke, is trematode parasite that occurs in wild and domestic ruminants in North America and Europe. Adult flukes occur in the liver of the definitive hos ...

'' * ''

Haplometra cylindracea ''Haplometra cylindracea'' is a trematode parasite of frogs. Adult worms measure usually 10 mm and they are located in the lungs. ''H. cylindracea'' develops through 2 intermediate hosts: the first, a freshwater snail, the second, a water b ...

'' * '' Plagiorchis'' spp. * '' Opisthioglyphe'' spp. * '' Calicophoron daubneyi'' * '' Muellerius capillaris'' Transmission capacity of fascioliasis to humans and to animals is high.

References

This article incorporates CC-BY-2.0 text from the reference

External links

''Galba truncatula''
at

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taxonomy, short description, distribution, biology, status (threats), images {{taxonbar, from=Q1453573 Lymnaeidae Gastropods of Asia Gastropods of Europe Molluscs of South America Gastropods described in 1774 Taxa named by Otto Friedrich Müller