First record of the freshwater snail Pseudosuccinea columella (Gastropoda: Lymnaeidae) in southern Pampas (Argentina) and assessment of future spread

ABSTRACT

The freshwater snail Pseudosuccinea columella was recorded for the first time in Argentina more than 60 years ago. Since then its distribution in the wild has been restricted to the northeastern provinces. Here we record the presence of P. columella in southern Pampas for the first time, extending its distribution more than 500 km southwards. The climatic suitability of this and other areas of South America for its establishment and spread was analysed using habitat modelling software. Hitherto its spread within and between watercourses in southern Pampas has been very limited, probably through a combination of low climatic suitability, recent introduction and low connectivity of the drainage basins. The suitability of other areas where it has been recently recorded indicates a moderate risk of further spread in central and northwestern Argentina and in coastal areas of the Pacific rim of South America (southern Perú and northern Chile). The recent spread of P. columella in the wild in Argentina may be the result of an increase in the trade in aquarium plants or of the evolution of a new lineage with different ecological capabilities.

KEYWORDS:

• Lymnaeid
• exotic
• streams
• distribution model
• MaxEnt

Acknowledgements

PRM and MES are researchers in CONICET; XMCO is a posdoctoral fellow of Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) of Programa de Atração de Jovens Talentos-Ciência sem Fronteiras (88887.066723/2014-00), Brazil. We are grateful to two anonymous reviewers and the editor Winston Ponder for their helpful comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by grants from UNS (Universidad Nacional del Sur, PGI 24/B185) and ANPCYT (Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica, PICT 2012-1956) awarded to PRM and PIP 0055 (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, CONICET) awarded to M.G. Cuezzo (Instituto de Biodiversidad Neotropical CONICET).