A sectorization of the Iberian Peninsula has been obtained on the basis of Helicoidea species distributions. The distributions were analysed by multivariate methods with several qualitative indices, applied to the matrix obtained by dividing the study area into 113 squares of 100×100 km. Dendrograms were obtained by the agglomerative procedure UPGMA. The analysis identified five biogeographical provinces subdivided into subprovinces and sectors. They are as follows. (1) Basque‐Pyrenean‐Catalonian province, with seventy‐nine species and divided into the sectors Basque Septentrional, Basque Meridional, Pyrenean and Catalonian‐Provenzal. This province seems to be a contact area between the three malacofaunistic groupings of western Europe. (2) Province of Castilla la Vieja, with thirty‐six species and divided into Northern and Southern sectors. (3) Mediterranean province, with sixty‐seven species and divided into the sectors of Ebro Valley, Levantine and Baleary. This province is characterized by species of Mediterranean affinities but also contains some species of Septentrional affinities because this province includes the north of the Iberian mountain range, which constitutes a very important refuge area for several species of septentrional origin. (4) Province of Extremadura‐La Mancha‐Andalusia, with forty‐six species and divided into the subprovinces of Extremadura‐La Mancha‐Andalusia and Almería (represented by only one square). The first subprovince is divided into the sectors of Andalusia‐La Mancha and Extremadura‐La Mancha. (5) Lusitanian province, with fifty‐six species, divided into Galician‐Asturian, Portuguese and Duerense sectors, and characterized by species of Lusitanian and Mediterranean affinities.

Gómez‐Moliner, B.J., Elejalde, A.M., Arrébola, J.R., Puente, A.I., Martínez‐Ortí, A., Ruiz, A. & Madeira, MJ. (2012). Molecular phylogeny of the Helicodontidae and Trissexodontidae (Gastropoda). —Zoologica Scripta, 00, 000–000. In this study, we present a molecular phylogeny of the Trissexodontidae and Helicodontidae obtained by means of Maximum Parsimony, Neighbor Joining, Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian analyses of DNA sequences. Nearly 3 KB of sequence data of two mitochondrial genes (COI, 16S rDNA) and the nuclear rRNA gene cluster including ITS‐1, the 3′end of the 5.8S gene, the complete ITS‐2 region and 5′ end of the large subunit 28S were used to reconstruct the phylogeny of these two families. Monophyly of Trissexodontidae and Helicodontidae at the family level is well supported. A new classification of the genera in the Trissexodontidae is proposed. It includes two subfamilies: Gittenbergeriinae (monotypic for Gittenbergeria turriplana) and Trissexodontinae. The latter includes three strongly supported tribes: (i) Trissexodontini, including Mastigophallus, Trissexodon, Oestophorella and Suboestophora; (ii) Oestophorini, with Oestophora; and (iii) Caracollinini, with Caracollina, Gasulliella, Gasullia and Hatumia. The polytypic Oestophora and Suboestophora are recovered as two monophyletic genera. The anatomy of the auxiliary copulatory organs of the reproductive system is coherent with the new taxonomic interpretation of the Trissexodontidae. Further work, including some more taxa is needed to delimitate subfamilies within Helicodontidae. Finally, the addition of some sequences of other Helicoidea shows that the genus Ciliella is not closely related to Trissexodontidae, being grouped within the Hygromiidae, instead.

No abstract

The land snail Elona quimperiana is listed in annexes II and IV of the Europe Habitats Directive. In this study, phylogenetic relationships between populations of this protected species from its whole distribution range were reconstructed based on the sequencing of two mtDNA gene fragments (COI and 16S rRNA) and one nDNA gene fragment (ITS2). Haplotype networks were also generated for the COI and 16S rRNA gene fragments. Results yielded three main intraspecific phylogroups here designated as the lineages Brittany-Spain, Basque and Navarre-Rioja. This last lineage had not been identified previously. Genetic distances between the three main phylogroups indicate they were formed by allopatric populations before the Last Glacial Maximum, and then separately evolved in three refugia in the Iberian Peninsula. We here propose that each phylogroup is considered an Evolutionarily Significant Unit. Through extended sampling, we were able to delimit the geographic distribution of all three lineages. Finally, our genetic results support post-glacial colonization of this species from the northeastern Iberian Peninsula to Brittany in NW-France as suggested previously and rule out its recent anthropic introduction.

The land snail Elona quimperiana is listed in annexes II and IV of the Europe Habitats Directive. In this study, phylogenetic relationships between populations of this protected species from its whole distribution range were reconstructed based on the sequencing of two mtDNA gene fragments (COI and 16S rRNA) and one nDNA gene fragment (ITS2). Haplotype networks were also generated for the COI and 16S rRNA gene fragments. Results yielded three main intraspecific phylogroups, here designated as the lineages Brittany-Spain, Basque, and Navarre-Rioja. This last lineage had not been identified previously. Genetic distances between the three main phylogroups suggest they could have originated by allopatric fragmentation before the Last Glacial Maximum, and then separately evolved in three refugia in the Iberian Peninsula. We here propose that each phylogroup is considered an Evolutionarily Significant Unit. Through extended sampling, we were able to delimit the geographic distribution of all three lineages. Our genetic results support post-glacial colonization of this species from the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula to Brittany in NW-France as proposed previously, and rule out its recent anthropic introduction.