SNAIL COMPOSITION AND ITS CERCARIAE IN HIEP PHUOC RICE FIELD OF NHA BE DISTRICT, HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM

Abstract

A study of cercariae and snail composition by morphological analysis method in Hiep Phuoc rice field of Nha Be District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, was carried out in October 2022 (the wet season) and February 2023 (the dry season). A total of 738 snails were collected, and eight snail species belonging to eight genera and six families were identified. Six snail species were found in the wet season, and seven snail species were found in the dry season. Only Sermyla tornatella was infected with trematode (cercariae stage), and the prevalence in the dry season (1.4%) was higher than in the wet season (0.9%) (P > 0.05). The other seven snail species were cercariae-free. Four cercariae morphotypes were recovered from Sermyla tornatella, including Transvesotrema cercariae, Pleurolophocercous cercariae, Xiphidio cercaria, and Echinostome cercariae. Further research on snails and their cercariae in other waterbodies should be done in Nha Be District to identify the snail diversity and sources of trematodes to contribute to developing tilapia culture and other fish species with trematode free.