Melanoides tuberculata (Mollusca: Thiaridae) harboring renicolid cercariae (Trematoda: Renicolidae) in Brazil.

Abstract

Melanoides tuberculata , naturally infected by gymnocephalous cercariae, were found in aquatic collections from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. After morphological characterization, larvae were used for experimental infection of Poecilia reticulata. Metacercariae were obtained from the liver of these fish, which were also found to be naturally infected in the same locality. The morphology and biology of the developmental stages of trematodes we obtained were characteristic of Renicola sp. This is the first record of renicolid cercariae and metacercariae in Brazil.