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      Distribution and habitats of Melanoides tuberculata (Müller, 1774) and M. victoriae (Dohrn, 1865)(Mollusca: Prosobranchia: Thiaridae) in South Africa

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          Abstract

          An account is given of the geographical distribution and habitats of Melanoides tuberculata (Müller, 1774) and M. victoriae (Dohrn, 1865) as reflected by the samples on record in the database of the National Freshwater Snail Collection (NFSC) of South Africa. About 30 species of Melanoides occur in Africa of which only M. tuberculata is widespread. Melanoides tuberculata is also indigenous to India and the south-east Asian mainland to northern Australia and was widespread in the present-day Sahara during the late Pleistocene-Holocene, but M. victoriae seems to be restricted to Southern Africa. Details of the habitats on record for each species, as well as mean altitude and mean annual air temperature and rainfall for each locality, were processed to determine chi-square and effect-size values. An integrated decision-tree analysis indicated that temperature, altitude and type of substratum were the most important factors of those investigated that played a significant role in establishing the geographical distribution of these species in South Africa. In view of the fact that M. tuberculata can serve as intermediate host for a number of trematode species elsewhere in the world, it is recommended that the ability of the 2 local Melanoides species to act as intermediate hosts should be investigated. Due to the fact that the majority of sites from which these species were recovered were not since revisited, it is recommended that efforts should be made to update their geographical distribution and the results compared with the data in the database. The conservation status of these 2 species and the possible influence of global warming and climatic changes on their geographical distribution are briefly discussed.

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          Freshwater Snails Of Africa And Their Medical Importance

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            An introductory guide to the identification of cercariae from African freshwater snails with special reference to cercariae of trematode species of medical and veterinary importance.

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              Classification and Regression Trees

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                Author and article information

                Journal
                wsa
                Water SA
                Water SA
                Water Research Commission (WRC) (Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa )
                0378-4738
                1816-7950
                October 2009
                : 35
                : 5
                : 713-720
                Affiliations
                [01] Potchefstroom orgnameNorth-West University South Africa
                [02] Potchefstroom orgnameNorth-West University orgdiv1School of Environmental Sciences and Development South Africa
                Article
                S1816-79502009000500020 S1816-7950(09)03500520
                242d2dc1-e067-4c70-b2ac-eec27633eb6b

                This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

                History
                : 28 August 2009
                : 04 November 2008
                Page count
                Figures: 0, Tables: 0, Equations: 0, References: 37, Pages: 8
                Product

                SciELO South Africa


                freshwater Mollusca,Trematoda,biological control,habitat preferences,geographical distribution,Melanoides victoriae,Melanoides tuberculata,South Africa

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