Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2025
Erindi/veggspjald / Talk/poster E65
Höfundar / Authors: Árni Kristmundsson (1), Mark A. Freeman (2), Ásthildur Erlingsdóttir (1)
Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: (1) Tilraunastöð Háskóla Íslands í meinafræði að Keldur; (2) Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, St. Kitts, West Indies
Kynnir / Presenter: Árni Kristmundsson
The rough periwinkle snail, Littorina saxatilis, klettadoppa in Icelandic, is common and widely distributed snail in the North Atlantic, including Iceland. It lives in the intertidal zone, and is therefore easily visible on low tide, commonly attached to stones and rocks, often along cracks were moisture remains during low tide. The colour varies significantly, most commonly they are grey, but can be white, reddish, greenish or even yellow, and commonly with light and dark stripes along the coils. In summers 2023 – 2025, rough periwinkles were collected from three different sites in Iceland, two in Strandir, and one in Laugarnes within Reykjavík. The snails were dissected, sampled and subsequently subjected to histological examination, as well as molecular analysis. Histological examination revealed the presence of a protozoan parasite, resembling species of the genus Haplosporidium. Infections were located in the digestive gland of the snail. Only the snails collected from Strandir were found infected, in a prevalence of 10% - 20%. The infections were commonly severe, and likely to negatively affect the condition of the snails. This is the first report of Haplosporidium species in Icelandic waters, but a number of species have been described from marine molluscs in other areas, some of which highly pathogenic. The life cycle of Haplosporidium species is still unknown but generally thought to include a second intermediate host.