Abstract
Snail control is one of the most important tools in the campaign to reduce the incidence of fascioliasis. In order to attain this objective, the method of bait formulation in order to contain an attractant and a molluscicide is an expedient approach to lure the target snail population to the molluscicide. This study identifies certain carbohydrates, namely sucrose, maltose, glucose, fructose and starch, for preparing such baits. These were tested on Lymnaea acuminata, an intermediate host of the digenean trematodes Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica. The behavioural responses of snails to these carbohydrates were examined. Significant variations in behavioural responses were observed in the snail even when the five carbohydrates were used in low concentrations in snail-attractant pellets. Starch emerged as the strongest attractant for Lymnaea acuminata, followed by maltose.
References
Kpikpi JEK, Thomas JD (1992) A study of the sugar chemoreception niches of the two bulinid snail hosts of Schistosomiasis, Ann Trop Med Parasitol 86:181–198
Kpikpi JEK, Thomas JD (1993) The sugar chemoreception niches of Bulinus (Physopsis) globosus (morelet) and Bulinus rohlfsi (Clessin) the two most important snail host of Schistosoma haematobium (Bilharz) in West Africa, Comp Biochem Physiol 106:373–379
Livingstone OR, Dezwann A (1983) Carbohydrate metabolism in gastropods. In: Hochachka PW (ed) The Mollusca, vol 1. Academic Press, New York
Madsen H (1992a) Food selection by freshwater snails in Gezira irrigation canals Sudan. Hydrobiologia 228:203–217
Madsen H (1992b) A comparative study on the food locating ability of Helisoma duryi, Biomphalaria camerunensis and Bulinus truncatus (Pulmonate Planorbidae). J Appl Ecol 29:70–78
Sokal RR, Rohlf FJ (1973) Introduction to biostatistics. WH Freeman, San Francisco
Thomas JD (1982) Chemical ecology of the snail hosts of Schistosomiasis: snail-snail and snail-plant interaction. Malacology 22:81–91
Thomas JD (1986) Chemical ecology of Biomphalaria glabrata (Say): sugars as attractants and arrestants. Comp Biochem Physiol 83:457–460
Thomas JD (1989) The comparative ecological biochemistry of sugar chemoreception and transport in freshwater snails and other aquatic organisms. Comp Biochem Physiol 93:353–374
Thomas JD, Kowalczyk C, Somsundaram B (1989) The biochemical ecology of Biomphalaria glabrata, a snail host of Schistosoma mansoni: short chain carboxylic acids as phagostimulant. Comp Biochem Physiol 93A:899–911
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tiwari, F., Singh, D.K. Behavioural responses of the snail Lymnaea acuminata to carbohydrates in snail-attractant pellets. Naturwissenschaften 91, 378–380 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-004-0538-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-004-0538-4