Physella acuta ( Draparnaud, 1805 )

Rapalai, Boikhutso Lerato, 2024, An annotated checklist of molluscs recorded from Botswana, Indago: Investigating nature and humanity in Africa (Oxford, England) 41 (10), pp. 15-44 : 33

3. Physella acuta ( Draparnaud, 1805)

Distribution and year: Chobe River, Kasane 1987 ( GBIF 2023 b) (as Physa spp. , see Notes).

Habitat: Freshwater.

Native range: Not entirely resolved, but highly speculated to be North America ( Brown 1994; De Kock & Wolmarans 2007).

Extent of invasion: The species is recorded from Africa, Europe and Asia (Van Damme et al. 2017).

Notes: It is highly likely the Physa spp. recorded from the Chobe River by the AMGS in the GBIF. The species occurrence in Botswana is further supported by one scientific publication (Paraense & Pointier 2003) and an IUCN Red Listing assessment report (Van Damme et al. 2017). As Appleton et al. (2003) have recommended, it is crucial to note the possibility of the species occurrence in the Okavango Delta, especially because of the delta’s close proximity to the neighbouring Lake Kariba where the species was discovered. The species is common in both flowing and standing waters and thrives exceptionally well in polluted waters ( Brown 1994); its invasive success is attributed to a high fecundity rate and the capacity to travel swiftly upstream ( De Kock & Wolmarans 2007). The species serves as an intermediary host for food-borne trematode diseases such as echinostomiasis and fascioliasis ( Lawton et al. 2018).

Type locality: Garonne River , France ( Draparnaud 1805) .

Sources: Paraense & Pointier (2003); Van Damme et al. (2017); GBIF (2023 b).