Abstract: 　Objective To observe hibernation phenomena of Oncomelanai hupensis and explore the way of inducing the hibernation in laboratory. Methods Snails, O.hupensis hupensis, were collected from marshland of Jiangsu. The snail hibernation was induced by the way of cultivation at a mimic natural environment in the laboratory with gradually changing temperature. The amount of oxygen consumed by snails was tested by iodine titration, and their hibernation was tested by pin puncture followed by warm water. Results There was no significant difference on the rate of snail hibernation when the temperature was reduced by 1 ℃ per 24 hrs and by 1 ℃ per 48 hrs. The hibernation rate increased} with the decreasing temperature. There was a significant regression relationship between hibernation rate and temperature with R+2=0.967 (F=207.72, P<0.01). The temperature for 50% snails at hibernation (ET-50) was at 5.87 ℃ with 95% confidence limit of 5.32-6.23 ℃. The amount of oxygen consumed by snails declined with reduced temperature, there was a significant regression relationship between oxygen consumption and temperature with R+2=0.963 (F=182.18, P<0.01). A significant regression relationship was also shown between oxygen consumption and hibernation rate (R²=0.916, F=75.88, P<0.01). Conclusion Snail hibernation can be induced by the way of gradually decreasing temperature, and pin puncture or warm water resuscitation can be used to determine the status of snail hibernation.

Key words: Oncomelania hupensis, hibernation induction, oxygen consumption