Molecular phylogeny and systematics of Australian ‘Iravadiidae’ (Caenogastropoda: Truncatelloidea)

Abstract

The family Iravadiidae is found to be polyphyletic in a molecular phylogenetic analysis using a subset of Australian taxa. Taxa previously assigned to Iravadia form a monophyletic clade, but Nozeba topaziaca clusters with Auricorona queenslandica n. gen. and n. sp. in an unnamed family related to Tornidae. Aenigmula criscionei n. gen. and n. sp., an iravadiid-like species from the Northern Territory, belongs to another unnamed family related to Caecidae, Calopiidae and Clenchiellidae. A systematic revision of some Australian ‘iravadiids’ raises the subgenera Fluviocingula and Pseudomerelina to full generic rank and reinstates two former synonyms of Iravadia (Fairbankia), Pellamora and Wakauraia, as genera. The species formerly identified in Australia as Iravadia quadrasi is recognised as three allopatric species; Iravadia pilbara n. sp. and the reinstated species Iravadia goliath and Iravadia quadrina. Pellamora splendida n. sp., from Western Australia, is recognised as distinct from Pellamora australis, and Fluviocingula superficialis n. sp. from Fluviocingula resima. Wakauraia fukudai n. sp. is recorded from central Queensland.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:1B9917F6-48B2-4597-85C1-F90BA9093475

Keywords:

• Rissooidea
• microgastropod
• mangrove
• estuary
• marine
• biogeography
• evolution
• taxonomy

This work was supported by the Australian Biological Resources Study (grant RF210–07) and the Australian Museum. Mandy Reid, Alison Miller, Janet Waterhouse, Frank Köhler and Francesco Criscione from the Australian Museum Malacology department provided valuable assistance and advice. Li Yafang and Paola Rachello-Dolmen generously contributed specimens to the study. Michael Hill and Stephanie Clark are thanked for their assistance during field work. Thanks also to Winston Ponder for his advice during this project. Sue Lindsay from the Microscopy and Microanalysis Laboratory at the Australian Museum obtained all the scanning electron microscope images used in this study. Reviews by Thoman Wilke, Winston Ponder and Anders Hallan improved this manuscript.