Cheng Youzhu, Guo Yue, Lin Guohua, Ai Lin, Chen Shaohong, Lu Mingke
Fujian Province Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Fu Zhou 35001, China.
State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Xiamen University; Parasitology Research Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
Iran J Parasitol. 2014 Apr-Jun;9(2):260-5.
Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a zoonotic public health concern that causes human severe eosinophilic meningitis in Southeast Asia and China. As a medically important intermediate host of A. cantonensis, Bellamya lithophaga (Gastropoda: Viviparidae) is often confused with other morphologically similar sibling species of genus Bellamya, such as B. aeruginosa and B. purificata in the past. Hence, the aim of the present study was to investigate evidences to discriminate these equivocal Bellamya species.
This study was carried out by getting Bellamya snail samples from Fujian Province in the South-East of China. The snail morphological features, breeding grounds and phylogenetic relationship according to mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene marker were analyzed.
Based on external morphology, radular shape and cusp formula, as well as major breeding environment, B. lithophaga could be distinguished from B. aeruginosa, B. purificata. The phylogenetic tree also unconfirmed that B. lithophaga belongs to a different genetic clade from other morphologically similar species.
Our findings demonstrate the significant differences in B. lithophaga and other sibling species, which supports the traditional species delimitation in the genus Bellamya.
广州管圆线虫是一种人畜共患的公共卫生问题，在东南亚和中国可导致人类严重嗜酸性粒细胞性脑膜炎。作为广州管圆线虫重要的医学中间宿主，石田螺（腹足纲：田螺科）过去常与其他形态相似的田螺属近缘物种混淆，如铜锈环棱螺和中华圆田螺。因此，本研究旨在寻找区分这些易混淆田螺物种的证据。
本研究通过采集中国东南部福建省的田螺样本开展。分析了田螺的形态特征、栖息地以及基于线粒体细胞色素c氧化酶亚基I（COI）基因标记的系统发育关系。
基于外部形态、齿舌形状和齿尖公式，以及主要繁殖环境，石田螺可与铜锈环棱螺、中华圆田螺区分开来。系统发育树也证实石田螺属于一个与其他形态相似物种不同的遗传分支。
我们的研究结果表明石田螺与其他近缘物种存在显著差异，这支持了田螺属传统的物种划分。
