Molecular evidence for a polyphyletic genus Japonia (Architaenioglossa: Cyclophoridae) and with the description of a new genus and two new species

Abstract

Cyclophoridae is the dominant family of operculated terrestrial snails in East Asia. The group consists of four subfamilies and approximately 300 species that are currently classified into 34 genera. The species occupy various habitatsand show a high morphological diversity. The molecular phylogenetic relationships of this group have not previously been discussed. In order to uncover the relationships within the family, we sequenced parts of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and of the 16S rRNA gene from 32 species of 10 genera of cyclophorid and established the phylogenetic tree using neighbor joining, Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses to construct phylogenetic trees. The results based on mtDNA sequences suggest that the genera Cyclophorus, Cyclotus, Leptopoma, and Cyathopoma are monophyletic while the traditional genus Japonia appeared polyphyletic and then J. zebra should be moved to the new genus Pilosphaera. In addition, Pilosphaera yentoensis n. sp. and Japonia boonkioensis n. sp. are described in this paper.

Phylogenetic reconstruction and shell evolution of the Diplommatinidae (Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda)

“…The fact that the Japonia sample. clusters with Leptopoma in this analysis, and has longitudinal red-brown stripes on the shell, suggests that it belongs, in fact, to Pilosphaera, the new genus erected by Lee et al (2008) to rectify the polyphyly of Japonia.…”

“…Clearly, further sampling will be required to resolve these relationships, but a framework on which further studies can be based has been produced. Lee et al (2008) completed a molecular phylogenetic reconstruction of the Cyclophoridae, the only previous phylogeny of members of the outgroup. The cyclophorid relationships recovered here do not conflict with those results, although neither study strongly supports a certain topology.…”

Additions to the knowledge of the land snails of Sabah (Malaysia, Borneo), including 48 new species

“…Borneo species of Japonia Gould, 1859 (s.l., including Pilosphaera Lee et al, 2008 ), have larger shells: usually more than 4 mm high or more. Japonia also has a notch in the angular corner of the peristome, and many have shells with brown colour markings.…”

Genetic analysis of Cryptozona siamensis (Stylommatophora, Ariophantidae) populations in Thailand using the mitochondrial 16S rRNA and COI sequences

“…In the last few years, DNA sequencing data has been used to study and clarify the evolution of morphological characteristics of ambiguous organisms [ 15 – 18 ] while genetic studies of land snails using DNA sequence data could be valuable for their identification [ 19 – 21 ]. The most commonly used genes for genetic analysis in land snails are the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and 16S rRNA genes [ 20 , 22 – 24 ].…”