Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stuttgart, Arkansas » Harry K. Dupree Stuttgart National Aquaculture Research Cntr » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #120022
Title: THE SPREAD OF AN EXOTIC SNAIL MELANOIDES TUBERCULTA AND ASSOCIATED TREMATODE CENTROCESTUS FORMOSANUS IN TEXAS.

Author
item BRANDT, THOMAS - USF&WS
item HUFFMAN, DAVID - SOUTHWEST TSU
item Mitchell, Andrew

Submitted to: Texas Academy of Science
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/1/2001
Publication Date: 3/1/2001
Citation: BRANDT, T., HUFFMAN, D., MITCHELL, A.J. THE SPREAD OF AN EXOTIC SNAIL MELANOIDES TUBERCULTA AND ASSOCIATED TREMATODE CENTROCESTUS FORMOSANUS IN TEXAS.. TEXAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 2001. p.72.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The East African thiarid snail Melanoides tuberculata was discovered in Texas in 1964 in the San Antonio (Bexar County) and Comal (Comal County) rivers. The snail also is known to now occur in the San Marcos River (Hays County), Barton Springs (Travis County), San Felipe Creek (Val Verde County), San Solomon Springs (Reeves County), Phantom Lake Springs (Jeff Davis County), Diamond Y Springs (Pecos County), Las Moras Creek below Fort Clark Springs (Kinney County), and several lakes and ponds in Hidalgo County. Melanoides tuberculata is the intermediate host for the Asian heterophyid trematode Centrocestus formosanus, which was first recorded in Texas in the San Antonio River in 1990. The parasite exists in the San Antonio, Comal, and San Marcos rivers, San Felipe Creek, San Solomon Springs, and Phantom Lake Springs. The metacercariae of C. formosanus encyst in the gills of fishes. Extensive damage to the gill filaments of the endangered fountain darter Etheostoma fonticola has been reported in portions of the Comal River. The parasite has been found in 15 other fishes in the Comal River and appears to cause varying levels of gill damage to different fishes. The Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Nyctanassa violacea is thought to be one of the parasites definitive hosts in central Texas. More research is needed on the effects M. tuberculata and C. formosanus are having on the native snails and fishes of Texas.