A faunal overview is presented of the molluscan families Amphibulimidae, Megaspiridae, Odontostomidae, Orthalicidae, Simpulopsidae in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru. These Central Andean countries are known for their biodiverse malacofauna, of which the superfamily Orthalicoidea takes relatively a large share. In this paper the five families containing 103 (sub)species, for which systematic informa...

Three new species of the ant-eating spider genus Hermippus Simon, 1893, H. globosus sp. nov., H. inflexus sp. nov. and H. gavi sp. nov. are described and illustrated from the Western Ghats in the Kerala region of southern India. The genus is redefined and two species groups are recognized: the cruciatus-group with all the five described Oriental species including H. cruciatus Simon, 1905, H. ar...

The epidemiology of trematode infections in cattle was investigated within highland and lowland areas of Iringa Rural District, in southern Tanzania. Fecal samples were collected from 450 cattle in 15 villages at altitudes ranging from 696 to 1800 m above the sea level. Freshwater snails were collected from selected water bodies and screened for emergence of cercariae. The infection rates in ca...

a two-year laboratory study on the biology (including self-fertilization) of bulinus truncatus, the intermediate host of schistosoma haematobium, s. bovis and paramphistomum microbotrium in iran, has revealed information on the longevity, reproduction, hatchability rate, hatching time during various months of the year, and growth and mortality rates of this snail. it was found that the reproduc...

there are many freshwater snails involved in the life cycle of parasitic flukes. some of these animals, such as bulinus spp and lymnaea spp are very important in public health and veterinary medicine. for example, bulinus trucatus and lymnaeid snails transmit human bilharziosis and zoonotic fascioliosis, respectively. for this reason most freshwater bodies of northern iran, were searched for po...

This study is an attempt to classify all described species of African Biomphalaria and Bulinus. It is based upon the author's examination of a great number of specimens collected from many parts of Africa. The variations attributable to age, environment and genetic factors which may be noted in the taxonomic characters are discussed, and some new species and subspecies are established. For each...

As part of the Tanzania National Schistosomiasis Control Programme, Bahi district in central Tanzania, received two annual rounds of praziquantel mass drug administration (MDA) to control urinary schistosomiasis in schoolchildren. The objectives of this study were to assess the impact of the two rounds of MDA on prevalence and intensity of Schistosoma haemamtobium and the impact of MDA campaign...

Nine new species of the family Nesticidae, collected from caves in Guangxi, Guizhou, Henan and Yunnan Provinces of China, are diagnosed, described and illustrated: Nesticella apiculata n. sp., Nesticella arcuata n. sp., Nesticella falcata n. sp., Nesticella gracilenta n. sp., Nesticella semicircularis n. sp., Nesticella shanlinensis n. sp., Nesticella verticalis n. sp., Nesticus globosus n. sp....

BACKGROUND Schistosomiasis is a parasitic infection that continues to be a major public health problem in many developing countries being responsible for an estimated burden of at least 1.4 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in Africa alone. Importantly, morbidity due to schistosomiasis has been greatly reduced in some parts of the world, including Zanzibar. The Zanzibar government ...