Survival potential, fecundity and fertility ofBiomphalaria pfeifferi(Krauss, 1848) during acclimatization in the laboratory

Abstract

Survival potential, fecundity and fertility of Biomphalaria pfeifferi were investigated during the process of acclimatization in the laboratory. Thirty adult snails (average size 5 × 13 mm) were used in Experiment A (control; laboratory-bred snails) and B (acclimatizing snails from the wild). Both experiments aimed at monitoring survival and reproductive potential of snails were performed at room temperature (21–29 °C) for five weeks. The mean pH, conductivity, total dissolved solid, dissolved oxygen, water and room temperature were 7.77, 228 ps/cm, 121, 0.5 mg/L, 25.0 and 29.0 °C, respectively. The mean and standard deviation of eggs per egg-mass was 19.86 ± 0.46 and 14.88 ± 5.01, the number of eggs per snail was 53.26 ± 10.34 and 38.51 ± 10.03, the amount of egg-mass per snail was 2.68 ± 0.04 and 2.48 ± 1.09 in Experiments A and B, respectively. Results of the experiment indicate a significant difference (p < 0.05) between fecundity, fertility and survival of B. pfeifferi in Experiments A and B. Experim...