Gastropoda collection for freshwater snails in sub-Saharan Africa

Larissa Smirnova

doi:10.15468/gcnf2u

Gastropoda collection for freshwater snails in sub-Saharan Africa

Citation

Smirnova L, Huyse T (2022). Gastropoda collection for freshwater snails in sub-Saharan Africa. Royal Museum for Central Africa, Belgium. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/gcnf2u accessed via GBIF.org on 2024-12-15.

Description

Schistosomiasis is an endemic parasitic disease currently infesting the sub-Sahara countries and has caused over 200 million infections worldwide. It is transmitted through water bodies and their intermediate host (IH), freshwater snails. By recording the geographical distribution and taxonomic information of the IH snails, a better understanding on the transmission pathway and proper execution on the disease prevention can be made accordingly. Thus, multiple excursions and sampling have been performed during 2012 and 2020 in several sub-Saharan African countries that are endemic for schistosomiasis by the Royal Museum for Central Africa, Belgium) and African partner institutes. Freshwater snail samples (with possible parasite infections) fixed on ethanol are here compiled in this dataset. The taxonomic identification was done mostly to genus-level due to the high morphological plasticity that exist among certain snail species. Yet, for many sample species-level ID was confirmed by DNA barcoding including Biomphalaria pfeifferi, Bulinus globosus, Bulinus truncatus, Bulinus forskalii, Radix natalensis, Pseudosuccinea columella, Physa acuta, Gyraulus connollyi, Melanoides tuberculata and others.

We would like to thank all our collaborators (according to countries’ alphabetic order) for their significant contributions to this dataset: Dr. Felicité Teukeng (Faculty of Health Sciences University of Montagnes, Cameroon), Dr. Joule Madinga (Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, DRCongo), Prof Patrick Mitachi Mulopo (Université de Kinshasa, DRCongo), Dr. Casim Umba Tolo (Pharm-Bio Technology and Traditional Medicine Centre (PHARMBIOTRAC), Mbarara University of Science & Technology, Uganda), Dr. Bruno SENGHOR, (Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Senegal), Dr. Maxwell Barson and Tamuka Nhiwatiwa (Department of Biological Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe).

Taxonomic Coverages

This dataset covers mainly freshwater snails from Gastropoda and rare samples from Bivalvia.

Gastropoda
rank: class
Bivalvia
rank: class

Geographic Coverages

This data covers Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guadeloupe, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe

Bibliographic Citations

Contacts

Larissa Smirnova
originator
position: scientists, data manager
Royal Museum for Central Africa
Leuvensesteenweg
Tervuren
BE
email: larissa.smirnova@africamuseum.be

Tine Huyse
metadata author
position: scientist (parasitologist/molecular biologist)
Royal Museum for Central Africa
Leuvensesteenweg
Tervuren
3080
BE
email: tine.huyse@africamuseum.be
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8164-9757

Tine Huyse
administrative point of contact
position: scientist (parasitologist/molecular biologist)
Royal Museum for Central Africa
Leuvensesteenweg
Tervuren
3080
BE
email: tine.huyse@africamuseum.be
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8164-9757

Franck Theeten
administrative point of contact
position: IT specialist, database manager
Royal Museum for Central Africa
Leuvensesteenweg
Tervuren
3080
BE
email: franck.theeten@africamuseum.be
userId: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0626-538X

didier.van.den.spiegel@africamuseum.be Didier Van den Spiegel
administrative point of contact
position: Head of department
Royal Museum for Central Africa
Leuvensesteenweg
Tervuren
3080
BE
email: didier.van.den.spiegel@africamuseum.be