<b>comparação da capacidade ovipositora entre 3 espécies de moluscos planorbidae, hospedeiros intermediários do Schistosoma mansoni no Brasil, Biomphalaria glabrata (SAY, 1818), Biomphalaria tenagophila (D'ORBIGNY, 1835) E Biomphalaria straminea (LUTZ, 19

Abstract

The author studied the reproductive potential of Biomphalaria glabrata, Biomphalaria tenagophila and Biomphalaria straminea and the results obtained were compared amongst them During a period of 30 days, between March and April, the number of egg-masses and the number of eggs in each of egg-masses, was recorded daily, in 20 samples of each species studied in the laboratory. The obtained strains of B. glabrata and B. tenagophila are originally from Londrina, Parana and the strain of B. straminea is originated from Limoeiro do Norte, Ceara. The results obtained which were different for each species, were significant in the relation total number of eggs produced during the mentioned period, considering that B. glabrata produced a total number of 16.314 eggs, B. straminea 6.611 and B. teangophila 2.049. Therefore, infering the medium number of eggs per mass and the medium number of eggs per snail B. glabrata showed to be potencially more abierfor reproduction than the other species studied. With reference to B. straminea this species showed in our experiments to be more fecund than B. tenagophila, becoming perhaps, the second more important intermediate host of Schistosoma mansoni in Brazil, fact which is reinforced, by its large distribution in the Northeast of Brazil