Systematics of a widely distributed western North American springsnail, Pyrgulopsis micrococcus (Caenogastropoda, Hydrobiidae), with descriptions of three new congeners

By

Hershler, Robert
Liu, Hsiu-Ping
Bradford, Corbin

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2013

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

330

Pages

27-52

Subjects

California , Conservation , freshwater , Gastropoda , Hydrobiidae , Nevada , Pyrgulopsis , taxonomy , United States

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.330.5852

 

Abstract

We describe three new species of springsnails (genus Pyrgulopsis) from the Amargosa River basin, California and Nevada (P. licina sp. n., P. perforata sp. n., P. sanchezi sp. n.), each of which was previously considered to be part of P. micrococcus. We also restrict P. micrococcus to its type locality area (Oasis Valley) and redefine a regional congener, P. turbatrix, to include populations from the central Death Valley region and San Bernardino Mountains that had been previously identified as P. micrococcus. The five species treated herein form genetically distinct lineages that differ from each other by 4.2–12.6% for mtCOI and 5.2–13.6% for mtNDI (based on previously published and newly obtained data), and are diagnosable by shell and/or penial characters. The new molecular data presented herein confirm sympatry of P. licina and P. sanchezi in Ash Meadows (consistent with morphological evidence) and delineate an additional lineage of P. micrococcus (in the broad sense) that we do not treat taxonomically owing to the paucity of morphological material. Conservation measures are needed to ensure the long term persistence of populations of P. micrococcus and a genetically differentiated lineage of P. sanchezi which live in disturbed habitats on private lands.