DNA Barcoding of the Banded Mystery Snail, Viviparus georgianus in the Adirondacks with Quantification of Parasitic Infection in the Species

Abstract: The banded mystery snail, Viviparus georgianus (Lea, 1834) is an invasive freshwater mollusc of the northeastern United States, where it has become the dominant fauna in many lakes and rivers of upstate New York (NY). Despite a series of comprehensive taxonomic studies carried out in the early 1990s on molluscs in the region, this species was never genetically confirmed in NY. In addition, its invasive potential had never approached that of the notorious zebra and quagga mussels. In this study, we report a new population of V. georgianus from the Adirondacks (northern NY) and genetically confirm its identity for the first time using Bayesian analysis. Based on field observations, we also investigated trematode infection in 200 snails and quantify their prevalence and intensity over four months in the summer of 2016 (May–August). Our results found that V. georgianus serves as the intermediate host of an echinostomatid trematode species with an overall prevalence of 66.7% (N=177). We discuss the implications of these results within the context of the snail's invasive status in NY and provide a framework for future research on the species.