Molecular characterization of liver fluke intermediate host lymnaeids (Gastropoda: Pulmonata) snails from selected regions of Okavango Delta of Botswana, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa.

Lymnaeidae snail species are known to be intermediate hosts of human and livestock helminths parasites, especially Fasciola species. Identification of these species and their geographical distribution is important to better understand the epidemiology of the disease. Significant diversity has been observed in the shell morphology of snails from the Lymnaeidae family and the systematics within this family is still unclear, especially when the anatomical traits among various species have been found to be homogeneous. Although there are records of lymnaeid species of southern Africa based on shell morphology and controversial anatomical traits, there is paucity of information on the molecular identification and phylogenetic relationships of the different taxa. Therefore, this study aimed at identifying populations of Lymnaeidae snails from selected sites of the Okavango Delta (OKD) in Botswana, and sites located in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Mpumalanga (MP) provinces of South Africa using molecular techniques. Lymnaeidae snails were collected from 8 locations from the Okavango delta in Botswana, 9 from KZN and one from MP provinces and were identified based on phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2). Analyses based on the ITS-2 marker identified the presence of a well-supported Radix clade containing Radix auricularia, R. natalensis and R. rubiginosa, which were not well resolved. Experimental samples from the OKD and KZN present in this clade were referable to these species. An unidentified experimental taxon from the OKD formed a well-supported sister clade to the Radix clade, although it was not possible to identify it. Galba truncatula was well supported in a sister relationship to a well-supported Pseudosuccinea columella clade which included samples from MP and KZN provinces of South Africa. We observed that P. columella shared the same habitats with R. natalensis and R. auricularia in KZN. Our study contributes new knowledge on the Lymnaeidae species present in Southern Africa and their phylogenetic relationships. The study further identifies the species which are likely to co-exist in the same environment and this information will be of use to those designing control programs for fasciolosis. This is the first study reporting the presence of R. auricularia in the OKD of Botswana and KZN province of South Africa.