SEAFWA 2018

AUTHORS: Lori Tolley-Jordan, Jacksonville State University, Department of Biology, Jacksonville, AL, USA; Jessica Wooten, Piedmont College, Department of Biology, Demorest, GA, USA; Michael Chadwick, King’s College London, Department of Geography, London, UK.

ABSTRACT: Melanoides tuberculata (Red Rimmed Melania) is an aquatic snail of Asian origin that has invaded aquatic systems throughout the world, including Florida, USA. In their native range, these snails are intermediate hosts to at least 40 species of trematode parasites that can cause significant health impacts to wildlife and humans. However, no trematodes have been reported for M. tuberculata populations in Florida. The objective of this study was to establish if trematodes found in M. tuberculata occur in Florida and, if so, identify the worms using a molecular marker,18s rDNA. Snails were collected in September 2015 from a total of 13 sites across the state and eight populations were found to be infected with trematodes. Four of the snail populations were infected with Haplorchis tachui and three populations were infected with Paralecithodendrium longiformes, parasites of Asian origin not reported in the USA prior to this study. In addition, Centrocestus formosanus and Philophthalmus gralli (introduced in 2000 and 1971, respectively) were found in two populations. Results from this study emphasize the critical need for improved monitoring of invasive snails to detect, and possibly prevent, the spread of these invasive pathogens.