Cochlicella Acuta Research Articles

Toward a push–pull strategy against invasive snails using chemical and visual stimuli

Four invasive Mediterranean snails, i.e., Theba pisana (Müller, 1774), Cernuella virgata (da Costa, 1778), Cochlicella acuta (Müller, 1774) and Cochlicella barbara (Linnaeus, 1758) cost $170 million yearly to the grain industry in Australia. Their impact is mainly due to their estivation behavior: snails climb on cereal and legume stalks to rest during summer, which coincides with harvest, causing grain contamination issues in crops such as wheat, barley and canola. Diverse management methods have been developed to regulate snail populations, with limited success. Our study investigates the potential for a push–pull strategy to divert invasive snails from cultivated fields. A “push” part (i.e. using a repellent stimuli) was based on the use of a chemical deterrent repelling snails from the cultivated field, and a “pull” part (i.e. using an attractive stimuli) was based on offering attractive estivation supports for snails to aggregate outside the cultivated field. First, artificial estivation supports of different colors were tested under laboratory and field conditions and showed that red supports were the most attractive for these snails. Second, different substances were tested as potential snail deterrents (garlic, coffee, coffee grounds, copper). Garlic extracts were the most powerful snail deterrent and were shown to effectively protect an estivation support and food source from snails under laboratory conditions. These results, which were highly consistent for the four species, illustrate the potential of a push–pull strategy against invasive snails in Australia. It is the first attempt to develop a push–pull strategy relying on both visual and chemical stimuli to achieve results, as well as manipulating the estivation behavior of a pest.

Machine vision solutions for monitoring pest snails in Australian no-till cropping fields: An exploration of spectral characteristics and detectability

In the realm of Australian agriculture, the invasive presence of two round snail species, Cernuella virgata and Theba pisana, and two conical snail species, Cochlicella acuta and Cochlicella barbara, has inflicted substantial economic losses. Effective integrated snail management hinges on precise monitoring of snail populations, yet current manual sampling techniques are prohibitively labour-intensive and susceptible to errors. This study underscores the imperative for a machine vision system capable of accurately and efficiently observing snail populations in the diverse landscapes of Australian broadacre no-till cropping fields. The inherent challenges of varied plant residues, gravels, and soil types in crop fields demands a sophisticated optical system to detect small, clustered, and camouflaged snails. Through a meticulous exploration of spectral features and detectability, employing different combinations of wavelengths and machine learning algorithms, this study yielded the promising findings that live round snails, dead round snails, live conical snails, dead conical snails, and complex field materials, were classified with F1 scores ranging from 0.7 to 0.9. This study not only highlights the potential of such a machine vision system, but also delineates ongoing challenges that warrant further investigation. The insights derived serve as a guide for the development of a robust machine vision system aimed at mitigating the impact of pest snails in agricultural fields.

Survey and population dynamics of land snails at Sharkia Governorate, Egypt.

Land snails are a destructive agricultural pest in economic crops, but the populations for that pest are highly influenced by temperature and humidity, therefore climatic changes affected their behavior, distribution and population dynamics, for these reasons researchers should follow up on the changes in their behavior, distribution, and population dynamics. In this study, a survey study was conducted to define land snail species existing at Sharkia Governorate, Egypt, from January 2019 to March 2022 in horticultural, vegetable, and field crops and study the population dynamics for the dominant land snail species. Results showed that there are six species of land snails, these species were, Monacha cartusiana, Succinea putris, Eobania vermiculata, Theba pisana, Helicella vestalis, and Cochlicella acuta. The population dynamics of two prevalent land snail species (M. cartusiana and S. putris), were conducted during two successive growing seasons, the Egyptian clover harbored the highest number of M. cartusiana followed by wheat, while the onion was the lowest one during the study period. In the same trends, the land snail S. putris recorded the highest numbers during the growing season of the Egyptian clover crop. Finally, it is concluded that the land snail M. cartusiana considered the first grade of infestation existed everywhere at Sharkia Governorate, and the population density of the land snail is increase gradually after winter till reach the maximum density in spring.

The introduction of Cochlicella acuta and Cochlicella barbara into Britain and the extinction of Xerocrassa geyeri in Cornwall

The introduction into Britain of two helicid species, Cochlicella acuta and C. barbara, is discussed in the knowledge that old carbon may have influenced the chronology; modern specimens of C. acuta from Cornish sand dunes gave radiocarbon dates which are 600−800 years old. The introduction of C. acuta is confirmed to the early Bronze Age and it may have been present in the late Neolithic. C. barbara arrived in Cornwall prior to its first observation in the 1960s but, in view of the old carbon problem, a precise date cannot be determined. Xerocrassa geyeri became extinct in most of southern Britain in the early Holocene, but survived at Gwithian in Cornwall for several more millennia, with radiocarbon dating suggesting that it could have been present there until the later part of the early Bronze Age.

Potential intermediate hosts of Angiostrongylus cantonensis in the European Mediterranean region (Mallorca, Spain)

Angiostrongylus cantonensis is the main etiological agent of eosinophilic meningitis, a disease that often leads to severe neurological manifestations in mammals and birds. In recent years, the prevalence of this zoonotic nematode has dramatically increased as it expands into new territories beyond its native range in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Basin.Its arrival to Europe, the last continent to be invaded, has raised many questions concerning the parasite's life cycle, particularly in the Mediterranean region, where it is now endemic. This study aims to collect evidence about intermediate hosts (snail and slug species) involved in the transmission of the A. cantonensis in Mallorca. We have conducted a systematic surveillance of gastropods within 2 km radius areas, surrounding the specific locations where infected hedgehogs were found. We employed a sequence-based detection approach that included a species-specific PCR amplification followed by DNA sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer I (ITS-1). This conservative approach was essential to avoid cross reactions with the numerous metastrongylid species known to be circulating in Mallorca. Overall, we collected and identified 398 gastropods belonging to 17 species, of which 11% tested positive for A. cantonensis. These gastropods were collected from touristic settlements to agricultural lands. Five gastropod species: Theba pisana, Cornu aspersum, Deroceras reticulatum, Milax gagates and Otala lactea, had been previously incriminated as A. cantonensis intermediate hosts, while 6 species: Papillifera papillaris, Cochlicella acuta, Eobania vermiculata, Ganula lanuginosa, Milax nigricans and Rumina decollata, are newly recorded hosts. The findings of this study have important epidemiological implications, and further measures are discussed to prevent neuroangiostrongylosis cases.

Population modelling for pest management: A case study using a pest land snail and its fly parasitoid in Australia

We built a DYMEX population dynamics model of the invasive land snail, Cochlicella acuta, and one of its dipteran parasitoids, Sarcophaga villeneuveana. The snail lifecycle consists of different size classes, based on shell height, as both parasitism and reproduction are influenced by snail height. The model reveals the likely role of small, cryptic snails in maintaining populations in the face of biological control and suggests that suppression of snail populations may only be possible with unrealistically high parasitism rates and with repeated annual spring releases of flies. The current model appears to describe the phenology of both the snail and fly adequately; however, construction of the model identified numerous knowledge gaps. Snail control would benefit from a thorough understanding of its basic biology and what drives its population dynamics – aspects which, surprisingly, have been largely ignored. Otherwise, any control measures will likely be unpredictable, with no real understanding of how or why management options may or may not work. We highlight the importance of modelling, preferably at an early stage, to synthesise available knowledge and data into a framework that helps target research at an early stage, and the benefits of experimentation via modelling.

Long-term relationships between the abundance of pest molluscs and weather in agricultural fields in South Australia

ABSTRACT Invasive snails, Cernuella virgata, Theba pisana and Cochlicella acuta, infest grain crops prior to harvest in early summer in southern Australia. They breed in autumn–early winter and peak in abundance in spring following the recruitment of young snails. Long-term studies (20 years) were established on three farms in South Australia (two practicing pasture–cereal rotations and one continuous cropping) to better understand the role of prevailing weather in driving the population dynamics of the three snail species and to develop predictive models that might assist farmers and off-farm grain handlers to anticipate future peaks in snail abundance and tailor their management practices accordingly. The three species are asynchronous in their population dynamics; they peak in numbers in different years. The abundance of C. virgata in late spring (preharvest) was most closely associated with, and could be broadly predicted by, the previous autumn to spring rainfall, but no significant associations were found between the rainfall and the abundance of C. acuta and T. pisana. Local air temperatures had little apparent association with the abundance of all three species. Broader scale weather, exemplified by the El Niño Southern Oscillation Index, was only occasionally, and weakly, related to the spring abundance of C. virgata.

Detection of a cryptic terrestrial insect using novel eDNA collection techniques

AbstractSensitive detection techniques are key to inform management practices for invasive and pest species by identifying the pest species’ distribution or identifying the presence of biological control agents that may negate the need for chemical control. Environmental DNA (eDNA) can be detected to infer the presence of rare, cryptic, and invasive species. This study provides a method that expands the application of eDNA techniques within terrestrial systems. Our study is focused on a cryptic biological control agent of the pointed snail Cochlicella acuta, the fly parasitoid Sarcophaga villeneuveana, which remains within the snail shell for most of its lifecycle, making it difficult to detect. Three sites were sampled using traditional surveys and three types of eDNA sampling 1/ crushing live snails, 2/ water washing live snails, old snail shells or vegetation, and 3/ vacuuming live snails or vegetation. An assay was developed to amplify a 129 bp fragment of S. villeneuveana, with positive detections recorded in crushed snail samples, water washed live snail, water washed vegetation, and laboratory vacuumed vegetation. Presence of the endoparasitoid was validated by traditional survey techniques conducted at the same time, indicating that all techniques tested are comparable for detection of the parasitoid. The new technique which only requires a small vegetation sample from the field post‐harvest and a portable vacuum has great potential to be applied to other insects and environments, particularly cryptic species, pests, and biological control agents in crops.

Development and using of some nanopesticide formulations against the conical snail, Cochlicella acuta, and the chocolate banded snail, Massylaea vermiculata

BackgroundNanopesticides are considered promising strategy in pest control. So, this strategy became an important new approach in pesticide formulations production. In this study, three traditional pesticide formulations (chlorfenapyr, imidacloprid and indoxacarb) were developed into nanoformulations. The toxicity of these nanoformulations was evaluated against the adults of the conical snail, Cochlicella acuta (Müller, 1774), and the chocolate banded snail, Massylaea vermiculata (Mohamed and Ali, Anim Biol J2(4):171–180, 2011).ResultsThe results revealed that the nanosizes of nanoformulation nanoparticles were ranged between 220 and 534 nm. The loading capacities of the selected pesticides on polymer were 65.3 ± 6.4, 62.8 ± 5.3 and 37.1 ± 0.4%for nanochlorfenapyr, nanoimidacloprid and nanoindoxacarb, respectively. The nanochlorfenapyr was the most toxic against both the C. acuta and M. vermiculata followed by nanoindoxacarb and nanoimidacloprid. The LC50,s of the nanoformulations were 6.1, 7.7 and 14.9 ppm for chlorfenapyr, indoxacarb and imidacloprid, respectively.ConclusionsThese results cleared that the conical snails were more susceptible to all the tested pesticides than the chocolate banded snail, M. vermiculata. The efficacy of nanochlorfenapyr, nanoindoxacarb and nanoimidacloprid on conical snails (6.1, 7.7 and 14.9 ppm, respectively) was about fourfold compared with M. vermiculata (23.1, 31.9 and 60.6 ppm, respectively).The results also revealed that the potency of nanoformulation used was not only by direct killing of tested snails but also by repellent effect.

Biocontrol of Invasive Conical Snails by the Parasitoid Fly Sarcophaga villeneuveana in South Australia 20 Years after Release.

Simple SummaryTwo invasive conical snail species are major pests of pastures and grain crops in Australia. In 2000, a parasitoid fly, Sarcophaga villeneuveana, was sourced from the snails’ native Mediterranean range and introduced on the Yorke Peninsula, South Australia, for biological control of the conical snail Cochlicella acuta. The fly successfully established in the region but assessments of the fly’s impact in different snail habitats were limited. Twenty years on, four field surveys were performed over two years to measure its geographic spread and parasitism rates on C. acuta and the small pointed snail, C. barbara. In total, >88,000 snails were collected using standardised sampling methods to investigate the parasitism of host snails in different habitats. The fly was found at 13 of 19 sampled sites up to 34 km from nursery release sites. Total parasitism rates of suitably sized snails (≥5 mm shell height) were ≈3% for both C. acuta and C. barbara. Rates were higher in C. acuta (5.4%) and C. barbara (15.2%) in exposed habitats above ground level. Parasitism rates up to 48% in C. acuta and 29% in C. barbara at sites near flowering vegetation suggested that the fly benefits from floral resources.Two conical snail species introduced to Australia from the Mediterranean region during the 20th century are major pests of pastures and grain crops. In 2000, a parasitoid fly, Sarcophaga villeneuveana, was introduced into South Australia for biocontrol of the conical snail, Cochlicella acuta. The fly successfully established in the region but assessments of its impact in different snail aestivation microhabitats were limited. Twenty years on, field surveys were conducted to assess the geographic distribution and parasitism rates of S. villeneuveana on conical snails in the Yorke Peninsula region. Nineteen sites were sampled on four occasions in January and April of both 2019 and 2020. In total, >85,600 C. acuta and >2400 C. barbara were collected from cryptic (ground or plant refuge) and exposed (open ground or elevated substrate) aestivation habitats and assessed for parasitism. The fly was detected at 13 of 19 sampled sites up to 34 km from nursery release sites. Total parasitism rates of suitably sized snails (≥5 mm shell height) were 2.9% for C. acuta and 3.4% for C. barbara. Maximum parasitism rates of 48% for C. acuta and 29% for C. barbara were found at sites adjacent to spring- and summer-flowering native vegetation. Across 13 sites, parasitism rates were higher for C. acuta (5.4%) and C. barbara (15.2%) in exposed habitats above ground level. However, only 34% of C. acuta and 14% of C. barbara were found in elevated habitats as most snails were found in cryptic refuges. There was a seasonal decline in abundance of C. acuta (66%) and C. barbara (45%) between January and April, suggesting natural mortality. Although the overall impact of the fly is limited, high parasitism rates in local environments with flowering resources indicates the potential to enhance biocontrol of both invasive conical snail species.

Preliminary Study on Survey and Population Dynamic of the Terrestrial Snail Monacha obstructa (Pfeiffer) (Hygromiidae, Mollusca) at Crop Fields in Fayoum Governorate, Egypt.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> <i>Monacha obstructa</i> has a serious harmful impact as agricultural pest infested field crops, fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants nurseries in multiple Egyptian governorates. The objective of this research was estimating the population dynamic of the terrestrial gastropod species <i>Monacha obstructa</i> (Pfeiffer) (Hygromiidae) on two economic crop fields and its correlation with temperature degree and relative humidity, the level of infestation on other economic crops had been estimated as well. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> This study was conducted in three sites in Fayoum governorate, 1) Forkous village at Tamiya District, 2) Dar Ramadsite including the Experimental farm and research station of the Faculty of Agriculture, Fayoum University, Fayoum District and 3) Feedimeen village at Sannoris District. The distribution and population dynamics of <i>Monacha obstructa</i> were assessed as one of dominant species on two field crops Egyptian clover <i>Trifolium alexandrinum </i>L. and wheat <i>Triticum aestivum</i> L. at Forkous village, Tamiya District and Dar Ramad site, Fayoum District, during two successive seasons 2016/2017 and 2017/2018. <b>Results:</b> Majority of the examined crops in the sites were found with heavy infestation of this species, while the two species <i>Cochlicella acuta</i> (Müller) (Geomitridae) and <i>Massylaea vermiculata </i>(Müller) (Helicidae) recorded in December, 2017 and in January, 2018, respectively, on mango trees in Feedimeen at Sannoris district for only one time. High density of <i>M. obstructa</i> recorded on Egyptian clover more than wheat at Forkous village and Dar Ramad site for the both seasons in this study. <b>Conclusion:</b> Results concluded that <i>Monacha obstructa</i> has a serious harmful impact as agricultural pest infested field crops, fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants nurseries in Forkous village and Dar Ramad site, respectively.

Taxonomic Key as A Simple Tool for Identifying and Determining the Abundant Terrestrial Snails in Egyptian Fields (Gastropoda, Pulmonata: Succineidae, Geomitridae, Helicidae, Hygromiidae)

Terrestrial snail collection that had been recorded in Egyptian fields, gardens and nurseries are reviewed and described with a clear description, pictures, and taxonomic data in addition to shell morphological characters that provided for every species. This study includes six terrestrial snails, Succinea (Amphibina) cleopatra (Pallary, 1909) (Succineidae), Cochlicella acuta (O. F. Muller, 1774), Xeropicta krynickii (Krynicki, 1833) (Geomitridae), Massylaea vermiculata (O.F. Muller 1774), Theba pisana (O. F. Muller, 1774) (Helicidae) and Monacha obstructa (L. Pfeiffer, 1842)(Hygromiidae) that are common to be observed in the Egyptian Agricultural fields. This report of land snail’s identification is based on the specimen’s shell morphology and their distribution through their activity season in multiple surveys whether through our research studies or previous research. This report is an attempt to deliver a comprehensive shell description and survey data of land snails as agricultural pests providing a well-defined taxonomic key to the species level. The taxonomical key can provide the growers with the essential data of identifying the land snail species that could be noticed in the crop fields, gardens, or ornamental plant nurseries.

Parasitism of the conical snail, Cochlicella acuta, by the fly, Sarcophaga villeneuveana, in south-western Europe

The conical snail, Cochlicella acuta, is an introduced pest of grain crops in Australia. Biological control of C. acuta has been attempted using the parasitoid fly, Sarcophaga villeneuveana, sourced from southern France, but has failed. Molecular genetics of the snails and climatic matching have suggested greater success might be realised using flies from southern Iberia (Spain and Portugal) or Morocco. We measured levels of parasitism of C. acuta by S. villeneuveana at several sites within southern Iberia, and near the previous fly release site in Australia. Emergence of flies was slightly higher in Iberia, compared with Australia, but 31% of the S. villeneuveana that reached pupal stage within C. acuta in Iberia were hyperparasitised (up to 63% at individual sites). No hyperparasites emerged from Australian collections of C. acuta. These data encourage further searches in southern Iberia for more effective populations of S. villeneuveana for use as biological control agents.

Genetic variability in the parasitic fly, Sarcophaga villeneuveana, in south-western Europe and Morocco

The snail, Cochlicella acuta (Muller), is an introduced pest of grain crops in southern Australia, and native to Europe and north-west Africa. Parasitoid flies (Sarcophaga villeneuveana (Enderlein)) have previously been sourced from France to attempt biological control of the pest in Australia, but have failed. Cochlicella acuta has three mitochondrial lineages (CO1 & 16S based) within its native distribution. The snails now found in Australia belong to just one of these lineages. Their origins most likely lie in the southern Iberian Peninsula or Morocco, not in France. We collected S. villeneuveana attacking C. acuta in France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco and Australia. Genetic structure (CO1) was not found within the fly that aligned with the lineages recorded for the snail host in the same regions. However, geographical patterns were detected amongst haplotypes of S. villeneuveana which encourage further, better targeted searches in Morocco and the southern Iberian Peninsula for a more effective biological control agent(s).

The land malacofauna from Vesuvius National Park and neighbouring areas (Naples, Southern Italy): Preliminary results

The faunistic data on the recent land molluscs of Vesuvius National Park (Naples, Southern Italy) and neighbouring areas sampled during field surveys from 2005 to 2006 are reported here. The data were obtained through a careful research on museum collections and literature and were supplemented with observations from field surveys. Up to now, only 23 land snails species were known from the Vesuvius National Park through bibliographical data. The faunistic research, carried out in 25 stations of different environment typologies, allowed us to discriminate 31 species: 15 of these species are reported here for the first time for the study area. The presence of 16 species was confirmed by other field investigations. Other 19 taxa are reported in the literature, but not confirmed in our research - Helix turriculatella O. G. Costa, 1839 (obsolete nomenclature), Trochoidea trochoides Poiret, 1789, Hygromia cinctella (Draparnaud, 1801), Campylaea planospira (Lamarck, 1822), Vitrea sp. (cf. contracta (Westerlund, 1871)), Cecilioides acicula (O. F. Müller, 1774), Cochlicella acuta (O. F. Müller, 1774), Theba pisana O. F. Müller, 1774). Another 12 taxa are highly doubtful, because of possibilities for confusion with species living in other European or Italian regions, as well as previous misidentifications (Deroceras agreste (Linnaeus, 1758), Monacha gregaria (Rossmässler, 1839), Cochlicella barbara (Linnaeus, 1758), Monachoides incarnatus (O. F. Müller, 1774),Cernuella (Cernuella) cisalpina (Rossmässler, 1837), Cernuella aradasii (Pirajno, 1842), Oxychilus cellarius (O. F. Müller, 1774), O. alliarius (J. S. Miller, 1822), Zonitoides nitidus (O.F. Müller, 1774), Hyalina pseudohydatina, Ferussacia lubrica, Aegopinella nitens (Michaud, 1831); it was impossible in these cases to refer to their current specific name. Eobania vermiculata (O. F. Müller, 1774), Rumina decollata (Linnaeus, 1758), Papillifera papillaris (O. F. Müller, 1774) appear to be the most common species. Interesting are the records of Marmorana muralis (O.F. Müller, 1774), Helix cf. ligata (O.F. Müller, 1774) and Charpentiera gibbula gibbula (Rossmässler, 1836). Charpentieria gibbula honii (Tiberi, 1878) needs genetic investigations in order to confirm its taxonomic status. One allochthonous species (Paralaoma servilis (Shuttleworth, 1852)) was surveyed for the first time in the study area. A Red List of Threatened Species is proposed and the species are classified according to the IUCN criteria (Version 2019-2.1). The malacofauna of Vesuvius - Somma Mountain Complex is composed by 38 land mollusc species and represents 36.2% of the total species present in Campania (about 105 species, personal data) and 12.8% of the Italian fauna (about 530 species of land molluscs extrapolated from the list of Bank (2017). It is assumed that the poor biodiversity of the Vesuvian land malacofauna can be attributed essentially to the scarcity of calcareous substrates and the absence of permanent water sources.

Sourcing effective biological control agents of conical snails, Cochlicella acuta, in Europe and north Africa for release in southern Australia

The conical snail, Cochlicella acuta, is a major introduced pest of grain crops in southern Australia. In particular, C. acuta aestivates on the heads and upper stalks of crop plants thus fouling grain harvests in late spring - early summer. Previous attempts to control this snail pest included the release, during the early 2000s, of parasitic flies (Sarcophaga villeneuveana) sourced from southern France, within the perceived native distribution of C. acuta. The flies established in southern Australia, but only in very low numbers, such that there was no significant reduction in the snail’s pest status. Sequencing of the snail’s COI and 16S mitochondrial genes has now identified three main maternal lineages within C. acuta, across its distribution in south-western Europe and Morocco. The 1st lineage was only found in north-eastern Spain (near the Pyrenees), throughout southern France and in northern Italy. Both the 2nd and 3rd lineages were found in the U.K., western France, northern and southern Spain, Portugal and Morocco. The 3rd lineage was also collected throughout eastern Spain and just into southern France (near the Pyrenees). All the C. acuta found in Australia belong to the 3rd lineage. Highest levels of genetic diversity in C. acuta were found in the 3rd lineage, in particular in Morocco. A plausible explanation for the poor performance of the biological control agent previously released to control C. acuta in Australia is a mismatch between snail host and selected parasitoid. A different biotype or sub-species of S. villeneuveana, or even a different parasitoid species altogether, that attacks the 3rd lineage of C. acuta in south-western Europe or Morocco, could prove to be a more effective biological control agent than the S. villeneuveana previously released from southern France. Climates in southern Spain, southern Portugal and northern Morocco also best match those areas in southern Australia where C. acuta is a pest, suggesting further searches for effective natural enemies should be focussed there.

Survey, Population Dynamics and Estimation of Damage of Common Land Snail Species on Some Vegetable Plants and Egyptian Clover at Some Regions at Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate

Survey and population dynamics were carried out in two regions, Abu-Abdalla village, Sedi Salem District and Salait village, Quallen district at Kafr El- Sheikh Governorate during two successive seasons from 2015to2017 on egyptian clover, lettuce, and cabbage. The survey revealed the existence of four species of land snails, Monacha cantiana, Succinea putris, Theba pisana and Cochlicella acuta were predominant on egyptian clover and two vegetables crops. The population densities of these land snail species were studied on soil, stems and leaves of studied plants. The results showed that the highest population was recorded on leaves under field of vegetable plants during spring seasons except cabbage at Abu Abdalla, Sedi Salem district in 2015 and 2016. T.pisana presented in Lettuce and and Cabbage on Abu-Abdella village and was absent on all vegetable crops on the second village. while M. cantiana ,C.acuta and S.putris snails were recorded with highest numbers on Egyptian clover. On the other hand, S. putris was in heavy infestation on lettuce and cabbage in the two regions. The damage caused by different snail species M. cantiana and S. putris was studied on Egyptian clover.

Biological Parameters of the Conical Snail Cochlicella acuta (MÜLLER, 1774) (Gastropoda: Cochlicellidae) under Laboratory Conditions

Biological parameters like as mating, pre-oviposition, oviposition, post-oviposition, and generation periods as well as growth rate of the pointed or conical snail Cochlicella acuta (Muller, 1774) (Gastropoda: Cochlicellidae)were studied in the Plant Protection Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Zagazig University under laboratory conditions. In 2017/2018,samples of pointed or conical snails of date palm were collected during its reproductive and activity season from highly infested palm tree orchards at Abo-Nagii farm, El-Kassassein, Ismailia governorate. The temperature and RH% values ranged from 19 to 28oC and 48 to 61, respectively. Snails immediately transported back to the laboratory where they were identified to species and kept in 1000 cc boxes plastic with tight fitting perforated covers , provided with fresh lettuce leaves (Lactuca sativa) as a source of food reared and ovipostion site. Plastic containers were staked side by side with moist soil. The fresh lettuce leaves were checked daily and replaced with fresh one. The laboratory observations revealed that in spite of this species is hermaphrodite, the cross mating was essential for ovipostion as unmated ones did not lay any egg. Mating occurs when snail individuals reach their sexual maturity as calculated from adulthood until mating. Besides large adults produced more eggs than small ones over the whole breeding season; this period was 95 ± 28.4 days in average. Pre-oviposition period (from mating till laying first egg) lasted for an average of 17.3 ± 6.1 days. Oviposition period (from laying first egg till last one) averaged 84.3 ± 23.6 days during which snail individual deposited a total of 110 ± 59.5 eggs. Post-oviposition period (from last laid egg till mortality) was 140 ± 74.3 days. The generation period (from egg to egg) of this species extended to an average of 275.3 ± 32.1 day

Terrestrial Snails that are Parasitologically Important of Turkey

to now, 12 snail species have been determinted as a intermediate host (Helicella candicans, Helicopsis krynickii, Trochoidea pyramiadata, Monacha carthusiana, Cochlicella acuta, Helicella itala, Cernuella virgata, Helicopsis protea, Helicella obvia, Helix aspersa, Helix lucorum, Chondrus tournefortianus) in Turkey. Unfortunately, classification mistakes are made by the fact that the host, intermediate host and parasites are from separate groups of animals. Particularly in relation to intermediate hosts , these are: Helicella candicans is synonim of Xerolenta obvia. Probably the researchers have noted snail belong to this species from old and invalid literatures. Its same for the Helicella obvia, its synonim of the Xerolenta obvia. Helicopsis krynickii, Its synonim of the Xeropicta krynickii; Monacha carthusiana is also synonim of Monacha claustralis. Helicella itala, never has been found in Turkey. Probably reason of only morphological description. Because this species distributing in western Europe. Helicopsis protea never has been found in Turkey. Probably reason of only morphological description. Helicella obvia is synonim of Xerolenta obvia.

Evaluation of molecular methods for the field study of the natural history of Dicrocoelium dendriticum

There is a need for improved methods for the study of the impacts of climatic and livestock management change on the epidemiology of production-limiting helminth parasitic diseases. In this study we report the application of molecular methods to describe the natural history of the small lancet fluke, Dicrocoelium dendriticum on Machair pastures on the Inner Hebridean Isle of Coll. Our results build upon those of the only previous historic field study of D. dendriticum in the British Isles that had been undertaken on the same study site. We demonstrate the value of combining conventional parasitological methods with PCR amplification of a mitochondrial DNA fragment for the detection of D. dendriticum in ants and snails, and PCR amplification of ITS2 and 28S ribosomal DNA fragments to support the species identity of the intermediate hosts, to improving understanding of the epidemiology of D. dendriticum. We report the presence of D. dendriticum infection in cattle, sheep and rabbits grazing on Machair pastures. D. dendriticum infection was identified in a high percentage of the snails, identified as Cochlicella acuta and Cernuella virgata, and in a high percentage of Formica fusca and Myrmica ruginoides ants that were collected from, or clinging to, the tops of flowers. We have identified the involvement of different intermediate host species and higher prevalences of snail and ant infection than previously reported, in part reflecting differences between the sensitivity and specificity of morphological and molecular speciation methods. Overall, our results highlight the complex life history of dicrocoeliosis and illustrate the parasite’s generalist host strategy that confers potential to exploit new niches created by climatic change or grazing management for habitat conservation.