Biomphalaria obstructa (Morelet, 1849): a study of topotypic specimens (Mollusca: pulmonata: planorbidae)

A description of Biomphalaria obstructa (Morelet, 1849), based on specimens collected at its type locality - isla del carmen, state of Campeche, Mexico - is presented. The Shell is small, 13 mm in diameter, 3.5 mm in width and with 5.75 whorls in the largest specimen, thin, moderately lustrous and translucent, horn-colored. Whorls increasing regularly (neither slowly nor rapidly) in diameter, rounded on the periphery side, bluntly angular on the left. Suture well-marked, deeper on the left. Right side widely concave, with first whorl deeply situated and partly hidden by the next. Left side shallower than right one, largely flattened, with first whorl plaintly visible. Aperture roundly heart-shaped, usually in the same plane as the body whorl but somewhat deflected to the left (less frequently to the right) in some specimens. Peristome sharp, seldom blunt; a distinct callus on the parietal wall. A number of young shells develop one set (seldom more) of apertural lamellae which tend to be resorbed as the shell grows. Absence of renal ridge. Ovotestis with about 70 mostly unbrached diverticula. Seminal vesicle beset with well-developed knoblike to fingerlike diverticula. Vaginal pouch more or less developed. Spermatheca club-shaped when empty, egg-shaped when full, and with intermediate forms between those extremes. Spermathecal body usually somewhat longer than the duct. Prostate with 7 to 20 (mean 12.06 ± 2.51) usually short diverticula which give off plumpish branches spreading out in a fan shape and overlapping to some extent their immediate neighbors. Foremost prostatic diverticulum nearly always partially or completely inserted between the spermathecal body and the uterine wall. Penial sheath consistently narrower and shorter than the prepuce. Muscular coat of the penis consisting of an inner longitudinal and an outer circular layers. Ratios between organ lengths: caudal to cephalic parts of female duct = 0.55 to 1.37 (mean 0.85 +- 0.17); cephalic parte of female duct to penial complex = 1.36 to 2.81 ((mean 1.90 +- 0.33); penial sheath to prepuce = 042 to 0.96 (mean 0.67 +- 0.13). Comparison with Morelet’s type specimens of Planorbis orbiculus and P. retusus points to the identity of those nominal species with B. obstructa.

Introduction and spreading of Biomphalaria straminea (Dunker, 1848) (Mollusca: Pulmonata: Planorbidae) in Guadeloupe, French West Indies

The finding in 1985 of a well-established population of Biomphalaria straminea in a pond in Grande Terre of Guadeloupe constitutes a new species record for the freshwater molluscan fauna of that island. The following years a rapid extension of the species was documented on Grande Terre and Marie Galante. However, it was never found in the neighboring island of Basse Terre. The invasion of the whole hydrographic system of this island by Melanoides tuberculata during the last decade and the current presence of well-established and dense populations of this snail may explain the failure of the colonization by B. straminea.

Plesiophysa dolichomastix sp. n. (Gastropoda: Planorbidae)

A new species of planorbid mollusc, Plesiophysa dolichomastix (Greek dolichos = long, mastix = flagellum), collected from Lagoa da Pedra, municipality of Santa Rosa, state of Goiás, Brazil (15°01'S, 47°13'W) is described. It is indistinguishable by the shell characters from the five congeneric species described so far: P. striata (Orbigny, 1841), P. granulata ("Shuttleworth" Sowerby, 1873), P. guadeloupensis ("Fischer" Mazé, 1883), P. ornata (Haas, 1938) and P. hubendicki Richards & Ferguson, 1962. It differs from the anatomically studied species in the following characters: about 50 ovotestis diverticula, against 12 in granulata, 100 in ornata, unstated in hubendicki; and length of flagella - about as long as the penial complex -, against about 1/3 to 1/6 in the other three.

Biomphalaria kuhniana (Clessin, 1883), planorbid mollusc from South America

The validity of Biomphalaria kuhniana (Clessin, 1883) is confirmed through morphological study of specimens from Surinam (type locality) and the area of Tucurui (Tocantins river, state of Pará, Brazil) in comparison with B. straminea (Dunker, 1848), and throught crossing experiments which revealed complete reproductive isolation between the two species. The full-grown shell of kuhniana is smaller (about 7.5 mm) than that of straminea (11 mm to 16.5 mm). Anatomically they differ in the degree of corrugation of the vaginal wall (little developed in kuhniana, conspicuous in straminea), number and shape of prostatic diverticula (kuhniana 4 to 9, shorter and less branched; straminea 9 to 18, longer and more branched),number of muscle layers at the middle of the penis (two in kuhniana, three in straminea), distal segment of the spermiduct usually straight or slightly wavy in kuhniana, more or less curly in straminea. Differences between B. kuhniana and B. intermedia (paraense & Deslandes, 1962) are less marked. The latter has a shell up to about 12 mm in diameter, 7 to 15 prostatic diverticula, two muscle layers at the middle of the penis, and a vaginal wall with a combination of a more or less developed corrugation (or sometimes a mere swelling) on the left of the spermathecal duct and a rudimentary pouch on the right of the duct. A Biomphalaria straminea complex is proposed to include that species as well as B. kuhniana and B. intermedia.

Dispersão de Biomphalaria straminea no estado de Sergipe: um estudo comparativo com dezenove anos de intervalo

No presente trabalho, realizado no Estado de Sergipe, procurou-se determinar a distribuição geográfica e as interrelações entre populações naturais de duas espécies do gênero Biomphalaria, os caramujos vetores do Schistosoma mansoni no nordeste do Brasil. Dados coletados em 1969 mostraram que B. straminea, com uma única exceção, estava limitada à região semi-árida, enquanto B. glabrata habitava a região litoral/mata, ambas no Estado de Sergipe. Esta distribuição espacial parecia indicar que as espécies acima denominavam territórios exclusivos. Coletas de caramujos feitas em 1988, nas mesmas 37 localidades pesquisadas anteriormente (1969), evidenciaram que B. straminea havia invadido territórios previamente ocupados por B. glabrata. Estes resultados sugerem que as duas espécies estão interagindo em processo de deslocamento competitivo. Foram ainda determinadas as taxas de infecção natural dos caramujos, assim como foram registrados alguns aspectos ecológicos de seus criadouros.

Egg-laying induced by insemination in Biomphalaria snails

Contrasting with many populations of Biomphalaria glabrata and B. straminea previously dealt with in this laboratory, which when reared in isolation deposit self-fertilized eggs without apparent restraint, isolated individuals of the former species from São Sebastião do Passé, Bahia state, and of the latter from Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul state, show a high degree of self-sterility, laying egg capsules with a few usually abortive, rarely viable egg cells, or just jellylike masses without egg cells. When two individuals are paired they readily copulate, usually withing 24 hr deposit one of more egg capsules containing many eggs, and egg-laying continues up to exhaustion of stored allosperm. So far this aspect of reproductive biology has been only observed in a number of populations of the planorbid species Helisoma duryi, and should be viewed as a populational rather than specific characteristic. Since sterility is not overcome by courtship, copulation and insemination by individuals of a different species, the stimulating factor that causes ovulation in the studied self-sterile individuals is considered to be present in the conspecific allosperm.

Plesiophysa guadeloupensis ("Fischer" Mazé, 1883)

A description is presented of the shell and anatomic characters of the planorbid mollusk Plesiophysa guadeloupensis ("Fischer" Mazé, 1883), based on topotypic specimens from a pond in Borricaud (Grande Terre, Guadeloupe). Comparison with previous descriptions of nominal species of Plesiophysa points to its identity with P. ornata (Haas, 1938), of which it is a senior synonym.

Ueber den begriff "Kinoplasma" in der spermiogenese von Australorbis Glabratus Olivaceus (Mollusca, Pulmonata, Planorbidae)

Zur Klaerung der Frage, ob der Begriff "Kinoplasma" fuer gewisse, von MERTON (1924,1926, 1930) beobachtete Bildungen an den reifenden Spermiden von pulmonaten Mollusken oder fuer Bestandteile des Cytoplasmas im Sinne von STRASBURGER und SCARTH zu verwenden ist, werden in der vorliegenden Mitteilung die Vorgaenge bei der Spermiohistogenese von Australorbis glabratus olivaceus untersucht. Es ergibt sich: 1. Das von MERTON bezeichnete "Kinoplasma" existiert nicht als solches, es handelt sich bei den von ihm dargestellten Protoplasmabildungen um kugelige, von den Spermiden abgeschnuerte Restkoerper nicht verwendeten Baumaterials, bestehend aus Protoplasma und einigen Mitochondrien. Sie werden von den Naehr- oder Bazalzellen phagozytiert. Der Ausdruck "Kinoplasma" kann nur fuer die submikroskopischen, geformten, faedigen Elemente des Cytoplasmas reserviert bleiben, die den geradlinigen Fall der uebrigen nicht geformten Komponenten bremst oder ablenkt; damit muss das Kinoplasma aber aus dem Begriff des Cytoplasmas herausgenommen werden, da es, wenn auch vermutlich reversibel, eine Differenzierung darstellt. 2. Der Spermienfaden wird von den Centriolen (Axialfilament) und den Mitochondrien (zwei peripher gelegene Spiralfilamente), sowie einem Plasmamantel gebildet. 3. Nach Beendigung des Auswachsens der Spermiengeissel, die zu diesem Zeitpunkt nur aus dem Achsenfaden und dem Protoplasmazylinder besteht, setzt sich eine Protoplasmamasse vom Kopf in Richtung zum Geisselende in Bewegung. Sie fuehrt den Golgi-Koerper und sehr viele Mitochondrien mit sich. Aus diesen entwickeln sich Fibrillen, die sich zu den beiden Spiralfilamenten zusammenfuegen. Diese Masse entspricht der von MERTON in seiner Theorie als Kinoplasma bezeichneten Komponente. 4. Die Bewegung dieses Protoplasmateils wird auf den Schub zurueckgefuehrt, den die sich bildenden Fibrillen auf die Mitochondrien ausueben. 5. Die Rueckwaertsbewegung dieses Protoplasmakoerpers beruht wahrscheinlich auf Elastizitaet und Kontraktilitaet des Plasmalemmas. 6. Das zum Kopf zurueckgekehrte Protoplasma wird mit restlichen Mitochondrien als Kugel ausgeschieden und von den Naehrzellen phagocytiert. 7. Der Golgi-Koerper wird vor Beendigung der Protoplasmawanderung bereits in der letzten Haelfte der Geissel eliminiert.

Ueber die formveraenderungen des golgiapparates waehrend der spermiogenese von Australorbis glabratus olivaceus: (Mollusca, Pulmonata, Planorbidae)

Im ersten Teil der vorliegenden Arbeit werden die cytogenese und Histogenese der Spermien von australorbis glabratus olivaceus beschrieben, waehrend im zweiten Teil auf die Formveraenderungen des Golgiapparates des Naeheren eigegangen wird. Es wurden angewandt: Phasenkontrast, Halbdunkelfeld und Dunkelfeld; Vitalfaerbungen mit Janusgruen und Neutralrot; als histologische Faerbung nach Osmiumfixierung erwies sich Eisenhaematoxylin als guenstig, nach Sublimatfixierung zum histologischen Naschwei der chromophoben Substanz des Golgiapparates ergab die Azanfaerbung mit Nachfaerbung in Lichtgruen die besten Ergebnisse. Die Cytogenese zeigt bis zum Erreichen der Spermiden keine Besonderheiten im Vergleich mit anderen shon bearbeiteten Mollusken. Die Histogenese zeit jedoch einige bemerkenswerte Punkte, die von den bereits bekannten Befunden an anderen Mollusken erheblich abwichen. Die Kernmembran der Spermide bildet durch Schrumpfung in Folge Kondensierung des Chromatins eine Spiralfalte auf der Kernoberflaeche mit ueber 2 Um gaengen. Das proximale Centriol ist geteilt, ein Teil bildet eine Fusskappe des Kerns, von der ein Faden ausgeht, der das ganze Kerninnere durchzieht. Der andere Teil bildet den Axialfaden und dient beiden Spiralfilamenten als Lager. Das distale Centriol bildet eine umgekehrte Glocke, an deren Rand sich die Spiralfaeden und in deren Innerem sich der Axial faden anheften; es setzt sich distalwaerts in den nackten Schwanzfaden fort. Der Golgiapparat ist vom primordialen Spermiogonium bis zur reifenden Spermide durch alle Entwicklungs- und Teilungsstadien zu verfolgen. Er besteht in der Spermiocyte aus der chromophoben Masse und 12 Dictyosome, die sich dieser auflagern, sowie aus 4 Proacroblasten. Diese 16 Kondrete trennen sich vor der Diakinese und jedes wandert fuer sich zu einem der Spindelpole. Die Praespermide besitzt 6 Dictyosome und 2 Proacroblasten, die sich zu 3 Diatyosome und 1 Proacroblast auf die Spermide verteilen. Der leztere Koerper wandelt sich zum Acroblast um, der sich als Acrosom dem apikalen Kernpol auflegt.

Planorbidae, Lymnaeidae and Physidae of Peru (Mollusca: Basommatophora)

In the course of several trips to Peru I had the opportunity of collecting topotypic specimens of Biomphalaria andecola (Orbigny, 1835), B. helophila (Orbigny, 1835), B. pucaraensis (Preston, 1909), Drepanotrema limayanum (Lesson, 1830), D. kermatoides (Orbigny, 1835), and Lymnaea viatrix Orbigny, 1835, besides B. tenagophila (Orbigny, 1835), Helisoma trivolvis (Say, 1817), H. duryi (Wetherby, 1879), Physa acuta Draparnaud, 1801, and seemingly P. peruviana Gray, 1828. B. pucaraensis is considered a junior synonym of B. peregrina (Orbigny, 1835).

Planorbidae, Lymnaeidae and Physidae of Ecuador (Mollusca: Basommatophora)

In the course of a trip to Ecuador I had the opportunity of collecting topotypic specimens of the following nominal species of pulmonate molluscs: Biomphalaria cousini Paraense, 1966; Planorbis equatorius Cousin, 1887; P. canonicus Cousin, 1887; Lymnaea cousini Jousseaume, 1887 and P. boetzkesi Miller, 1879. Additional findings were: Helisoma trivolvis (Say, 1817), Biomphalaria peregrina (Orbigny 1835), Drepanotrema anatinum (Orbigny, 1835), D. kermatoides (Orbigny, 1835), D. lucidum (Pfeiffer, 1839), D. surinamense (Clessin, 1884), Lymnaea columella Say, 1817 and Physa acuta Draparnaud, 1805. P. boetzkesi and P. canonicus are considered junior synonyms of Gyraulus hindsianus (Dunker, 1848) and Biomphalaria peregrina (Orbigny, 1835), respectively.

Planorbidae, Lymnaeidae and Physidae of Argentina (Mollusca: Basommatophora)

In the course of several trips to Argentina I had the opportunity of collecting specimens of Acrorbis petricola Odhner,1937, Biomphalaria orbignyi Paraense, 1975, B. peregrina (Orbigny, 1835), B. tenagophila (Orbigny, 1835) Lymnaea viatrix Orbigny, 1835, Antillorbis nordestensis (Lucena, 1954), B. intermedia (Paraense & Deslandes, 1962), B. oligoza Paraense, 1974, B. straminea (Dunker, 1848), Drepanotrema anatinum (Orbigny, 1835), D. cimex (Moricand, 1837), D. depressissimum (Moricand, 1837), D. heloicum (Orbigny, 1835), D. kermatoides (Orbigny, 1835), D. lucidum (Pfeiffer, 1839), L. columella Say, 1817, Physa acuta Draparnaud, 1805, and P. marmorata Guilding, 1828.

Aspectos ultraestruturais de hemócitos de Biomphalaria glabrata Say (1818) (Gastropoda: Planorbidae) analisados sob microscopia eletrônica de transmissão

Os hemócitos do caramujo Biomphalaria glabrata, um importante transmissor do trematódeo Schistosoma mansoni no Brasil, foram coletados de especimens na região Bragantina, localizada a oeste do estado do Pará. Os hemócitos foram examinados por meio de microscopia eletrônica de transmissão. As células foram fixadas pelo método de rotina com o uso do tampão PHEM (PIPES, HEPES, EGTA e Magnésio). Foram descritos os aspectos ultra-estruturais celulares como inclusões citoplasmáticas limitadas por membranas, mitocôndrias, retículos endoplasmáticos e outros. As observações mostram que esse tampão possui a propriedade de preservação do citoesqueleto celular, apresentando bons resultados na preservação das estruturas dos hemócitos e suas organelas.

O enigma da "reação espermatofórica": breve síntese do conhecimento sobre a estrutura e o funcionamento dos espermatóforos dos cefalópodes (Mollusca: Cephalopoda)

Cefalópodes coleóides (lulas, sépias e polvos) produzem espermatóforos muito complexos que são transferidos à fêmea durante a cópula por meio do hectocótilo, um apêndice modificado nos machos. Durante a transferência à fêmea, ocorre a chamada "reação espermatofórica", complexo processo de evaginação do aparato ejaculatório do espermatóforo, que conduz à exteriorização da massa espermática e corpo cimentante. A presente revisão sintetiza o conhecimento acerca da morfologia e funcionamento desta estrutura exclusiva dos coleóides, identificando lacunas e definindo estratégias que possibilitem avanços na área. Poucos trabalhos abordam com detalhes a morfologia e anatomia funcional dos espermatóforos dos cefalópodes, grande parte do conhecimento acerca da estrutura do espermatóforo tendo sido gerada por trabalhos clássicos do século XIX e início do século XX. Investigações acerca do funcionamento dos espermatóforos são consideravelmente mais raras, estando o conhecimento básico sobre a reação espermatofórica restrito a apenas 19 espécies de coleóides. A revisão da literatura especializada permite sugerir que existem dois tipos básicos de fixação de espermatóforos em Decapodiformes (lulas e sepióides): fixação superficial e implante profundo (ou intra-dérmico). Na fixação superficial, comum em diversas espécies (e.g., Loliginidae, Sepiidae, Ommastrephidae), a base dos espermatângios é aderida ao tecido-alvo aparentemente por meio do corpo cimentante, a partir de substâncias adesivas e, em alguns casos, estruturas de fixação. No implante profundo, comum em alguns grupos de lulas oceânicas e de águas profundas (e.g., Architeuthidae, Cranchiidae, Octopoteuthidae, Sepiolidae), os espermatóforos implantam-se inteiramente no corpo da fêmea, de forma autônoma. Permanece desconhecido o mecanismo responsável pelo implante profundo. Em Octopodiformes (polvos), o espermatóforo é inserido no gonoduto feminino, alcançando a glândula oviducal, onde estão localizadas as espermatecas, ou a cavidade do ovário. Como o funcionamento extracorpóreo dos espermatóforos depende exclusivamente da intrincada estrutura e organização de seus componentes (e.g., membranas e túnicas), somente investigações detalhadas dessas estruturas proverão as bases para a compreensão do funcionamento e da exata função do complexo espermatóforo dos coleóides. Recomenda-se o desenvolvimento de um protocolo simples e eficiente para coloração e preparação total de espermatóforos, de forma que seja possível expandir as descrições morfológicas do espermatóforo em estudos taxonômicos e anatômicos, permitindo, portanto, ampliação do conhecimento acerca desta enigmática estrutura.