Underestimated diversity of hydrobiid snails. The case of Pseudamnicola (Corrosella) (Mollusca: Caenogastropoda: Hydrobiidae)

Abstract

The freshwater gastropod genus Pseudamnicola Paulucci, 1878 belongs to the family Hydrobiidae Stimpson, 1865 and has been cited in Europe, Africa and Asia. The Ibero-Balearic region is considered one of the areas showing the greatest diversity of hydrobiids although few works have provided complete morphological descriptions. Seven Pseudamnicola species have been described based only on shells and some features of the male and female genitalia. This paper provides the largest set of anatomical and morphological data currently available for hydrobiids and describes five new species of Pseudamnicola (Corrosella) from the Iberian Peninsula: P. (C.) manueli sp. nov., P. (C.) bareai sp. nov., P. (C.) marisolae, sp. nov., P. (C.) iruritai sp. nov. and P. (C.) andalusica sp. nov. Two further species, P. (C.) luisi Boeters, 1984 and P. (C.) falkneri (Boeters, 1970), whose distribution areas overlap, are re-described for comparison. The new species are morphologically well differentiated, the most satisfactory characters being female and male genitalia, radula and nervous system, and are well supported by molecular data, with genetic distances between 5.39 and 11.15% for the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome c oxidase subunit I sequence. All the species inhabit a mountain region whose tectonic episodes are here invoked to explain the creation of an area of endemisms.

Keywords:

• Pseudamnicola
• Corrosella
• taxonomy
• Iberian Peninsula
• Spain
• new species
• endemism
• morphology
• cytochrome c oxidase subunit I sequences

Acknowledgements

The authors thank A. Eschner (NHMW, Austria) and R. Janssen (SMF) for kindly loaning the type material of P. (C.) falkneri and H.D. Boeters for clarifying its origin. We also thank J.M. Barea, D. Moreno and I. Ballesta for providing us with field samples. L. Tormo, M. Furio and A. Jorge from the MNCN assisted with the ESEM study and photomicrographs. Drawings were re-done by I. Díaz Cortaberría. M.A. Alonso-Zarazaga provided advice on nomenclature and C. Zazo provided advice on the palaeogeological events of the study area. P. Sastre advised us on geographical coordinates. The English was reviewed by A. Burton. The manuscript was improved by the comments and suggestions of R. Hershler, three anonymous reviewers and the co-editor, L. Allcock. This work has been financed by the MICINN projects Fauna Ibérica IX (CGL2007–66786–C8–01) and FaIb X (CGL2010–22267–C07–01) and the support of a JAE Predoctoral fellowship (JAEPre047) to D.D.