OBSERVATIONS ON AESTIVATION,DISPERSAL AND BREEDING SEASON OF THE GLASSY CLOVER SNAIL Monacha cartusfana MULLER AT SHARKIA GOVERNORATE | ||
| Journal of Plant Protection and Pathology | ||
| Article 8, Volume 31, Issue 8, August 2006, Pages 5487-5486 PDF (130.25 K) | ||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||
| DOI: 10.21608/jppp.2006.235243 | ||
| Authors | ||
| M. E. Mahrous,1; A. E. Basha1; Mervat H. lbrahim1; Sh. A. Ismail2; M. H. Lokma2 | ||
| 1Plant Protection Dept... Fac. Agric.. Zagazig Univ. | ||
| 2Plant Protection Research Institute. Dokki . Giza. | ||
| Abstract | ||
| Aestivation. dispersal and breeding season of the glassy clover snail Mcarfusiana were studied in Egyptian clovers fields at Sharkia Governorate during the period from April 2001 to June 2002. It was found that. snails aestivate during summer months under plants grown in the irrigation canals. Sugarcane was the most preferable one followed by elephant grass. while bermuda grass was the least one in this respect. General means of aestivated snails in 50 x 50 cm. under the aforementioned plants were 207.57. 168.52 and 70.67 snails, respectively. In April. a relatively low numbers enter aestivation. These numbers were gradually increased to reach the maximum values during June or July depending on aestivation site However, in September and October numbers of aestivated snails were sharply decreased. The majority of aestivated snails were seen with epiphragm during June July and August. Moreover. in Octot or. high numbers of epiphragms were observed on soil surface at or near aestivation sites. In December all aestivated snails became active and moved from aestivation sites under bunches of elephant grass grown in irrigation canal to the adjacent clover field and few of them reached a distance of 15 m far from irrigation canal. As the distance increased numbers of recovered snails were obviously decreased. Starting from January numbers of counted snails were increased to reach the peak during March or April with values of 37.0 (52.7). 33.3 (26.1). 23.7 (16) and 17.5 (12.7 individuals in 50x50 cm. at 1.5. 5. 10 and 15 m farfrom irrigation canal. respectively In May these figures were sharply decreased. while in June snails were not detected in the field. They were aggregated under bunches of elephant grass. All snails counted during November and December were found in adult stage. while most of those counted during January. February and March were found in juvenile stage. The breeding season of Mcarfusfana in Egyptian clover fields lasted three months starting from mid-November to mid-February. Numbers of clutches and eggs were changed during the breeding season according to time of sampling and distance from aestivation sites. More clutches were laid during November and December as compared to those in low numbers which laid during January and February. On the other hand. the highest numbers of egg clutches were deposited in the adjacent five meters near the aestivation sites. while at 10 and 15 m low numbers of egg clutches were laid. Clutch size tended to increase in the beginning of egg-laying period. but showed a noticeable decrease in its second half. It ranged between 8 to 41 eggsfclutch with grand mean of 22.31 eggs 7 clutch. | ||
| Keywords | ||
| Glassy clover snail. aestivation. dispersal. breeding season. Egyptian; clover. clutch size and epiphragms | ||
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