Test No. 242: Potamopyrgus antipodarum Reproduction Test
The Potamopyrgus antopodarumon reproduction test is designed to assess potential effects
of prolonged exposure to chemicals on reproduction and survival of parthenogenetic
lineages of the freshwater mudsnail Potamopyrgus antipodarum. Adult female P. antipodarum
are exposed to a concentration range of the test chemical. The test chemical is dispersed
into the reconstituted dilution water, added to test beakers, and adult snails are
subsequently introduced into the test beakers. When testing “difficult chemicals”
(i.e. volatile, unstable, readily biodegradable and adsorbing chemicals) the test
can be conducted under flow-through conditions as an alternative to the semi-static
design with fixed renewal periods of the medium (see paragraph 29). P. antipodarum
survival over the 28 days exposure period and reproduction at the end of the test
after 28 days are examined. Reproduction is evaluated by counting the number of embryo
in the brood pouch (without distinction of developmental stages) at the end of 28
days exposure. The toxic effect of the test chemical on embryo numbers is expressed
as ECX by fitting an appropriate regression model in order to estimate the concentration
that would cause x % reduction in embryo numbers or alternatively as the No Observed
Effect Concentration and Lowest Observed Effect Concentration (NOEC/LOEC) value (2).
Published on July 29, 2016Also available in: French
In series:OECD Guidelines for the Testing of Chemicals, Section 2: Effects on Biotic Systemsview more titles