Morpho-genetic variability of native and adventitious populations of the Brephulopsis cylindrica (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Enidae)

The population structure of the terrestrial mollusc Brephulopsis cylindrica (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Enidae) in the native area (Crimea Peninsula) and out of its borders (two adventive groups in the city of Belgorod) was studied on the basis of conchometric characteristics and analysis of polymorphic allozyme loci. For all the morphometric parameters statistically significant differences were found between the studied groups. In all studied populations a high level of intra-population genetic variability was revealed ( Fit = 0,401). At the same time, the considerable variability of the conchological parameters and the high level of allelic polymorphism at a number of loci identified in adventitious colonies create the prerequisites for successful adaptation to new conditions and further expansion of the species range in urbanized areas.

High unexpected genetic diversity of a narrow endemic terrestrial mollusc

The Iberian Peninsula has an extensive record of species displaying strong genetic structure as a result of their survival in isolated pockets throughout the Pleistocene ice ages. We used mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data to analyze phylogeographic patterns in endemic land snails from a valley of central Portugal (Vale da Couda), putatively assigned toCandidula coudensis, that show an exceptionally narrow distributional range. The genetic survey presented here shows the existence of five main mitochondrial lineages in Vale da Couda that do not cluster together suggesting independent evolutionary histories. Our results also indicate a departure from the expectation that species with restricted distributions have low genetic variability. The putative past and contemporary models of geographic distribution of Vale da Couda lineages are compatible with a scenario of species co-existence in more southern locations during the last glacial maximum (LGM) followed by a post-LGM northern dispersal tracking the species optimal thermal, humidity and soil physical conditions.

First Record of the Land Snail Pristiloma idahoense (Gastropoda: Pristilomatidae) for Montana

The land snail Pristiloma idahoense (Pilsbry, 1902) is reported from Montana for the first time. Five live individuals were found under downed wood beneath a mature coniferous forest canopy at 1670 m elevation in the Big Creek drainage of the Bitterroot Mountains, Ravalli County, Montana. This location extends the known range approximately 75 km east and over the crest of the Bitterroot Mountains from the nearest sites in Idaho County, Idaho and supports the hypothesis that the terrestrial mollusc fauna of Montana west of the continental divide has been strongly influenced by a molluscan radiation, which developed in a northern Idaho Pleistocene refuge. The probable route of dispersal for P. idahoense between the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana and the adjacent Lochsa River drainage of Idaho was over the lower mountains to the north in the Lolo Pass area.

Land Snail Fauna of “Porţile de Fier” (“Iron Gates”) Nature Park (Banat, Romania)

The paper presents an analysis of terrestrial mollusc fauna of the “Iron Gates” Nature Park. Various types of habitats (e.g. forests, rocks, riparian areas) and substrates (e.g. limestone, conglomerate, crystalline schist) were analyzed. A total of 45 species of terrestrial gastropods were identified in 17 sampling points, four of which are mentioned for the first time in the area. Six other species cited in the literature were not found. Limestone substrate allows the development of large populations of terrestrial gastropods, but the specific diversity is larger when it is associated with a forest habitat. The current legal and illegal exploitation of limestone threatens the mollusc communities associated with this type of habitat. The subsequent erosion process and the low mobility of these animals make their colonization of habitats difficult.