title: Integrating Morphology, Breeding Ground and Mitochondrial COI Gene Analysis for Species Identification of Bellamya lithophaga (Gastropoda: Viviparidae) in China.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a zoonotic public health concern that causes human severe eosinophilic meningitis in Southeast Asia and China. As a medically important intermediate host of A. cantonensis, Bellamya lithophaga (Gastropoda: Viviparidae) is often confused with other morphologically similar sibling species of genus Bellamya, such as B. aeruginosa and B. purificata in the past. Hence, the aim of the present study was to investigate evidences to discriminate these equivocal Bellamya species.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was carried out by getting Bellamya snail samples from Fujian Province in the South-East of China. The snail morphological features, breeding grounds and phylogenetic relationship according to mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene marker were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Based on external morphology, radular shape and cusp formula, as well as major breeding environment, B. lithophaga could be distinguished from B. aeruginosa, B. purificata. The phylogenetic tree also unconfirmed that B. lithophaga belongs to a different genetic clade from other morphologically similar species.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings demonstrate the significant differences in B. lithophaga and other sibling species, which supports the traditional species delimitation in the genus Bellamya.
authors.affiliation: Fujian Province Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Fu Zhou 35001, China.
authors.forename: Youzhu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Xiamen University; Parasitology Research Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Fujian Province Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Fu Zhou 35001, China.
authors.forename: Guohua
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200025, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ai
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shanghai 200025, China.
authors.forename: Shaohong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Xiamen University; Parasitology Research Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
authors.forename: Mingke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lu
keywords: Bellamya lithophaga; Breeding ground; COI gene; China; Morphology
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