''Lymnaea acuminata'' is a species of

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 ...

in the family

Lymnaeidae Lymnaeidae, common name the pond snails, is a taxonomic family of small to large air-breathing freshwater snails, aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusks, that belong to the clade Hygrophila. Lymnaeidae is the only family within the superfamily ...

. It is native to

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

, where it occurs in

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

, and

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 ...

. There it is a widespread and common species.Budha, P.B., Dutta, J. & Daniel, B.A. 2010
''Lymnaea acuminata''.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.2. Downloaded on 22 September 2014.

Biology

This snail lives in water bodies such as lakes, streams, and wetlands with thick vegetation. It easily survives in polluted waters.

Parasites

''Lymnaea acuminata'' is a host for many species of

trematodes Trematoda is a class of flatworms known as flukes. They are obligate internal parasites with a complex life cycle requiring at least two hosts. The intermediate host, in which asexual reproduction occurs, is usually a snail. The definitive host ...

. It is the first

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 ...

for ''

Schistosoma nasale ''Schistosoma nasale'' is a species of digenetic trematode in the family Schistosomatidae. ''S. nasale'' inhabits blood vessels of the nasal mucosa and causes " snoring disease" in cattle, but remains symptomless in buffaloes though extruding it ...

'' and '' S. spindale''.Liu L., et al. (2010). The phylogeography of ''Indoplanorbis exustus'' (Gastropoda: Planorbidae) in Asia. ''

Parasites & Vectors ''Parasites & Vectors'' is a peer-reviewed open-access medical journal published by BioMed Central. The journal publishes articles on the biology of parasites, parasitic diseases, intermediate hosts, vectors and vector-borne pathogens. ''Parasites ...

'' 3 57. . It is also an intermediate host for the

liver fluke Liver fluke is a collective name of a polyphyletic group of parasitic trematodes under the phylum Platyhelminthes. They are principally parasites of the liver of various mammals, including humans. Capable of moving along the blood circulation, t ...

s ''

Fasciola gigantica ''Fasciola gigantica'' is a parasitic flatworm of the class Trematoda, which causes tropical fascioliasis. It is regarded as one of the most important single platyhelminth infections of ruminants in Asia and Africa. Estimates of infection rates ...

'' and '' F. hepatica'', which cause the infectious disease

fasciolosis Fasciolosis is a parasitic worm infection caused by the common liver fluke ''Fasciola hepatica'' as well as by ''Fasciola gigantica''. The disease is a plant-borne trematode zoonosis, and is classified as a neglected tropical disease (NTD). It ...

in humans and other mammals.Tripathi, A. P., et al. (2013)
Behavioral responses of the snail ''Lymnaea acuminata'' towards photo and chemo attractants: A new step in control program of fasciolosis.
''International Journal of Zoology'' 2013 439276.

References

Lymnaeidae Gastropods described in 1822 {{Lymnaeidae-stub