Abstract
Pleurolophocercous cercariae found in the invasive gastropod Melanoides tuberculata (Müller, 1774) collected in a stream of the Vila do Abraão, Ilha Grande, Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil were used for experimental infection that enabled the identification of the heterophyid trematode Centrocestus formosanus (Nishigori, 1924). The parasite has been found in the locality since 2007, after two years of the introduction of M. tuberculata. Recently, from a sample of 483 specimens collected in June 2013, 101 (21%) were found infected with parasite. The potential environmental impacts caused by the parasite occurrence could be underestimated in the country, and actions to monitor and control both the parasite and the mollusk are necessary.
Highlights
Melanoides tuberculata (Müller, 1774) is a limnic invasive gastropod from East Africa and South Asia (Pilsbry and Bequaert, 1927), probably introduced to Brazil by aquarium trade (Vaz et al, 1986)
Pleurolophocercous cercariae were firstly recorded in M. tuberculata in the state of Rio de Janeiro (Boaventura et al, 2002; Bogéa et al, 2005; Thiengo et al, 2001) and later, similar larvae were found in Minas Gerais state, which were identified as the heterophyid trematode Centrocestus formosanus (Nishigori, 1924), for the first time in Brazil (Pinto and Melo, 2010)
Cercariae were detected in some specimens of M. tuberculata, of which five specimens were transported to the Laboratório de Taxonomia e Biologia de Invertebrados, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (LTBI, UFMG - Belo Horizonte, state of Minas Gerais), where other developmental stages of the parasite were obtained, according to Pinto and Melo (2010)
Summary
Melanoides tuberculata (Müller, 1774) is a limnic invasive gastropod from East Africa and South Asia (Pilsbry and Bequaert, 1927), probably introduced to Brazil by aquarium trade (Vaz et al, 1986). Melanoides tuberculata is the intermediate host for several parasites of medical and veterinary significance (Pinto and Melo, 2011; Santos et al, 2012).
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