Survival, growth and reproduction of the imported ampullarid snail Marisa cornuarietis in Central Sudan.

The ampullarid snail Marisa cornuarietis was imported to the Sudan in 1981 for evaluation as a biological control agent against the planorbid snails which transmit human schistosomes. In initial field studies in small protected ponds the generation time of M. cornuarietis was 4 months, as in Puerto Rico. The snails reached 4 cm in diameter after 1 year, compared to 3 cm in Puerto Rico. Their population density varied from 60 to 175 snails per metre of shore-line, compared to a similar pond in Puerto Rico where the stable density was about 115 snails per metre. The proportion surviving after 1 year was 0.03, less than the annual proportion surviving of 0.10 in Puerto Rico. Thus the preliminary results indicated that the ampullarid snails could establish strong populations in permanent habitats in central Sudan where there was adequate food, although it might take longer than it does in Puerto Rico.