Rediscovery of the endemic gastropod Dianella schlickumi (Gastropoda, Hydrobiidae) and its discrimination from Dianella thiesseana: environmental correlates and implications for their conservation

By

Ntislidou, Chrysoula
Radea, Canella
Giokas, Sinos
Pusch, Martin
Lazaridou, Maria
Bobori, Dimitra

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2018

Original Publication

Subterranean Biology

Volume

27

Pages

35-58

Subjects

Anatomy , Conservation , environmental correlates , Greek lakes , morphometrics , Pyrgulinid

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.27.23289

 

Abstract

The aquatic snail genusDianella(Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae) has only two representatives in Greece:DianellaschlickumiSchütt, 1962 andDianellathiesseana(Kobelt, 1878).D.schlickumi, a narrow endemic species to Lake Amvrakia (in Aitoloakarnania, western-central Greece), is considered as Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct, sensu IUCN 2017). Our study confirmed its presence in Lake Amvrakia, where it had not been detected for more than 30 years. We document the unknown anatomical characters based on theD.schlickumispecimens. Moreover, the presence ofD.thiesseanain the nearby lakes Trichonis and Lysimachia was also confirmed, while morphometric analyses enabled the discrimination between the two species. Redundancy Analysis revealed conductivity, dissolved oxygen and pH as the main environmental variables related to the above species’ distribution, shaping their community structure. BothDianellaspecies require urgent conservation measures to be enforced, due to their habitat degradation from human activities, which are limiting and fragmenting their range. For that purpose, effective management plans have to be elaborated and implemented at the mentioned lakes, focusing on the reduction of human pressures and on the improvement of their habitats.