Systematic revision of the eastern Queensland land snail genus Figuladra Köhler and Bouchet, 2020 based on mitochondrial phylogenetics and comparative morpho-anatomy (Eupulmonata, Camaenidae)

ABSTRACT

The current study revises the systematic taxonomy of Figuladra, a genus of camaenid land snails endemic to eastern Queensland, based on the investigation of many recently collected ethanol-preserved samples as well as historic museum material, including types. We employed comparative analyses to investigate the variation in morphological features (shell, penial anatomy) and performed phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequences to test species hypotheses. Phylogenetic analyses recovered three principal mitochondrial clades, one occurring in mid-east Queensland, one in south-east Queensland, and another in the upland areas of south-east Queensland. We recognise altogether 15 accepted species, including four that are newly described herein (i.e., Figuladra finlaysoni sp. nov., F. robertirwini sp. nov., F. bromileyorum sp. nov. and F. vidulus sp. nov.). The status of 11 previously described species has been assessed and revised diagnoses are provided for each of these. Species of the south-east Queensland clade revealed comparatively low levels of genetic and morphological differentiation and may represent examples of more recent, conceivably ongoing, speciation. Figuladra species have allopatric distributions with their ranges being separated by altitudinal or riverine barriers. Particularly the St Lawrence Gap dry corridor has been identified as a major biogeographic barrier separating two principal clades of Figuladra.

KEYWORDS:

• Biogeography
• gastropoda
• new species
• phylogeny
• systematics
• taxonomy

Data availability

All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this article and its Supplementary Information. Sequence information generated in this study are available at GenBank, accession numbers OQ676310–OQ676369.

Permits

In order to allay any conservation concerns, the majority of specimens were collected in areas outside National Parks and State Forests. Where specimens were taken from within these gazetted jurisdictions they were carried out under Scientific Purposes permit number WlTK16810116.

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge Griffith University, the Queensland Museum and Australian Museum for allowing us to access facilities and collections for this study. We would like to sincerely thank Darryl Potter, collection manager, Queensland Museum for his assistance with the collection and the databae. A special thanks to Alistair Meltzer and Kathryn Radcliffe, for their assistance with the collection of some specimens from the South Cumberland Islands and Percy Island respectively for this project in times when museum fieldwork was unable to be conducted. Thank you also to Geoff Thompson from the Queensland Museum Digital Imaging Unit for providing high resolution images of the new holotypes, and to Kim Maxwell for her cartographic expertise. We thank the reviewers for their constructive comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by HDR candidate support funding from Griffith University to LS and CM.