Preliminary data on the parasite survey of terrestrial gastropods of Sicily

A short survey on the parasite fauna of terrestrial molluscs in south-east of Sicily was performed. In total, 432 specimens of 12 different snail species from the families Cochlostomatidae, Clausiliidae, Subulinidae, and Helicidae and five slug species from the families Agriolimacidae, Limacidae and Milacidae were collected and examined. Seven out of 17 examined gastropod species in the area were susceptible to nematode infection. Representatives of three nematode taxa, Angiostoma margaretae Ross, Malan & Ivanova, 2011, Phasmarhabditis spp. and Caenorhabditis elegans (Maupas, 1900), were isolated and molecularly characterised. New host, Papillifera papillaris affinis (Philippi, 1836), was recorded for A. margaretae, originally described from South Africa. The discovery of two different strains or even putative species of Phasmarhabditis at close localities is indicative of its possible diversity in the area. Trematodes from four families were found at four sites in Rumina decollata (Linnaeus, 1758), Cornu aspersum (O.F. Muller, 1774), Ambigolimax valentianus (Ferussac, 1822), Tandonia sowerbyi (A. Ferussac, 1823) and Milax nigricans (Philippi, 1836). Mixed trematode/nematode infection was observed in R. decollata at the University of Catania grounds in the Catania city centre, M nigricans and T. sowerbyi at Villasmundo in Syracuse Province. No significant difference in parasite diversity and parasite prevalence between urban and wild habitats was found.