Distribution and habitat
Dande River, Angola.
Distribution
A common freshwater snail found across much of Africa south of the Sahara and some Indian Ocean islands.
Northern limits lie in S. Sudan, Lake Chad, the middle Niger Basin and the Senegal Basin.
Southern limits are the Okavango Delta and the warmer part of the coastal plain of eastern South Africa.
Habitat
Various freshwater bodies including:
- streams
- rivers
- seasonal pools
- lakes
- rice paddies
- irrigation canals
Usually associated with shallow water and commonly found in areas frequented buy man and domestic animals.
The snail is able to survive periods of drought by burying in to the substratum. Temperature is an important factor limiting distribution, 25oC seems to be optimal.
Snails and their eggs often found on the under surface of water lilly leaves