title: Natural infection of Helix aspersa (Mollusca: Pulmonata) by Dicrocoeliidae (Digenea) larval stages in Izmir, Turkey.
abstract: In this study, the prevalence of larval stages of Dicrocoeliidae in the garden snail Helix aspersa Müller, 1774 commonly found in the vicinity of Izmir, Turkey was investigated and some of its histological and morphological features were determined. The molluscs were collected during the spring of 2005. As the result of the investigation, a land snail species, H. aspersa, was found to be an intermediate host in the life cycle of Dicrocoeliidae and it had a prevalence of 0.97 % in the study area. In the present study, H. aspersa has been reported for the first time as an intermediate host of Dicrocoeliid species. The prevalence of infection was highest in March.
authors.affiliation: Ege University Science Faculty, Department of Zoology, Bornova, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gözde
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gürelli
authors.forename: Bayram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Göçmen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004012:Dicrocoeliidae / Q000254:growth & development*; D004199:Disease Vectors; D006372:Helix, Snails / Q000469:parasitology*; D015995:Prevalence; D014201:Trematode Infections / Q000635:transmission; D014421:Turkey