Anatomical and phylogenetic investigation of the genera Alabastrina Kobelt, 1904, Siretia Pallary, 1926, and Otala Schumacher, 1817 (Stylommatophora, Helicidae)

Abstract

This study presents new insights in the anatomy of genital organs of some large helicid gastropods from northern Africa. The genetic analysis with the markers COI, 16S, H3, and 5.8 S rRNA+ITS2 reveales a high support for Alabastrina and Otala as separate evolutionary lineages within the Otalini. The position of Siretia as another separate lineage within the Otalini is discussed. “Tingitanaminetteidecussata” clusters within the O.xanthodon clade and confirms that the genus Tingitana can be synonymised with Otala. The genus Alabastrina differs from all other known genera by possession of a penial appendix. This character state is also found in topotypic A.tistutensis. Examination of the twin penial papilla system in Otala recovers a reduction of the proximal penial papilla in O.punctata. The position of Helixmurcica as a separate subspecies of O.lactea is not supported, and it is here considered to be a synonym of the latter species.

Redescription of Monacha pantanellii (De Stefani, 1879), a species endemic to the central Apennines, Italy (Gastropoda, Eupulmonata, Hygromiidae) by an integrative molecular and morphological approach

“…The conclusion that ten populations from the central Apennines form a different species is supported by the analysis of K2P genetic distances of COI sequences (Table 5). Although the utility of the 3% barcode threshold as a marker for species distinction, applied in the so-called "barcode method" based on COI sequences (Hebert et al 2003a(Hebert et al , 2003b(Hebert et al , 2018Pentinsaari et al 2020), is disputable (Davison et al 2009;Hausdorf 2010, 2012;Köhler and Johnson 2012;Batomalaque et al 2019;Koch et al 2020), COI sequences have been used to analyse taxonomic problems in different gastropod families (e.g., Remigio and Hebert 2003;Elejalde et al 2008;Duda et al 2011;Breugelmans et al 2013;Proćków et al 2013Proćków et al , 2019Čandek and Kuntner 2015;Walther et al 2016;Kruckenhauser et al 2017;Galan et al 2018;Gladstone et al 2019;Harl et al 2019;Kneubühler et al 2019;Bamberger et al 2020). They were also useful in our previous studies on Monacha species (Pieńkowska et al 2015(Pieńkowska et al , 2018a(Pieńkowska et al , 2019a(Pieńkowska et al , 2019b.…”