Superfamily Lymnaeoidea Subfamily Lymnaeinae Rank Species | ||
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Similar Pseudosuccinea columella, Pseudosuccinea, Biomphalaria pfeifferi, Radix, Bulinus | ||
Radix natalensis is a species of freshwater snail, an aquatic gastropod mollusc in the family Lymnaeidae.
Contents
This species occurs widely in Africa. It is a major intermediate host for Fasciola gigantica in Africa. Placement of this species in the genus Radix was confirmed by Correa et al. (2010).
Distribution
Radix natalensis is a widespread species in Africa, occurring from northern Africa to southern Africa:
The type locality is in "pools in Port Natal", which today is Durban, South Africa.
Description
Radix natalensis was described by the German scientist and traveller Christian Ferdinand Friedrich Krauss in 1848.
The shape of the shell is elongate ovoid. The shell is colorless or light brown in color. The height of the aperture covers about 3/4 of the shell height. The lip of the aperture is thin and sharp. The umbilicus is closed. The width of the shell is about 5.75–7 mm. The height of the shell is 4.6-19.2 mm.
The reproductive system and radula was described by Wright (1963) in detail.
Ecology
Radix natalensis lives in permanent water bodies. An estimated density of Radix natalensis in a natural habitat in Tanzania was 34 snails per m². The snails lived mainly in the shallow water in depths of 0–4 cm, mainly between 20–30 cm from the shoreline. They prefer plant detritus or bedrock as a substrate.
Laboratory experiments have shown that some larger snails of Radix natalensis can survive on a wooden surface without water for up to 21 days. Some smaller snails of Radix natalensis have survived desiccation on a soil surface up to 60 days on "black" soil. Some smaller snails of Radix natalensis were able to survive for up to 90 days on soil among sedges (Cyperus) or in the "black" soil exposed to sun or in the soil with stones.
Parasites of Radix natalensis include:
Predators of Radix natalensis include leeches Helobdella nilae and Alboglossiphonia conjugata.
Snails of the non-indigenous species Marisa cornuarietis eliminated Radix natalensis and other two native snail species from a small pond in Tanzania in an experiment in 1982.
Oil extract of the gum myrrh Commiphora myrrha has molluscicidal activity against Radix natalensis.
Phylogeny
A cladogram shows the phylogenic relations of species in the genus Radix: