Digenea species in chosen populations of freshwater snails in northern and central part of Poland.

BACKGROUND

The aim of this work was to determine the biodiversity of digenean larvae in the snail populations from various water bodies.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Snails under study were collected from 29 reservoirs situated in northern and central part of Poland. During the period 1999-2005 10.581 snails from 6 species (among which two species dominated: Lymnaea stagnalis--9.469, and Planorbarius corneus--737 specimens) were examined for shedding cercariae. The total number of 4.404 molluscs was parasitized by 25 species of Digenea. The dominant species found were: Diplostomum pseudospathaceum (Diplostomidae), Echinoparyphium aconiatum (Echinostomatidae) Plagiorchis elegans and Opisthioglyphe ranae (Plagiorhiidae) in Lymnaeidae, while Rubenstrema exasperatum/Neoglyphe locellus (Omphalometridae) and Tylodelphys excavata (Diplostomatidae) in Planorbidae. The adults of the most of Digenea species found in snails were reported from birds.