Three introduced Monacha species (Gastropoda: Hygromiidae) in and near Lviv with remarks on M. cartusiana spreading in Ukraine and its Western part

Abstract

The distribution of three introduced Monacha species in Lviv and its immediate environs was analysed. For this, adult snails collected at 33 sites from 2011 to 2022 were studied anatomically. We found Monacha fruticola in two sites (Lviv, Briukhovychi), two cryptic species M. cartusiana and M. claustralis in 4 sites (Lviv, Yampil), only M. claustralis in one site in Lviv, and only M. cartusiana (single individuals or populations) in the remaining 26 cases. The distal genitalia of M. claustralis from new discoveries in and near Lviv, the variability of the vagina shape in M. cartusiana and M. claustralis from the studied area are shown. The possible role of private cars in the rapid spread of M. cartusiana in the study area is discussed. The chronology of registration of M. cartusiana in Western Ukraine is shown in a tabular format. A significant expansion of the range of M. cartusiana in Ukraine was noted, although almost until the very end of the 20th century this species was mentioned only for the southern part of the country, including Crimea.

A new record of the invasive land snail Monacha cartusiana (O. F. Müller, 1774) (Gastropoda: Hygromiidae) in the south of Belarus

“…It appears that penetration of M. cartusiana into the territory of Belarus is by casual import along highways and/or by rail transport from the south and west. This assumption is consistent with the results of research by other specialists (bAlAshov & bAidAshnikov 2012, bAlAshov & mArkovA 2023, gurAl-sverlovA & gurAl 2023. Further expansion of M. cartusiana may be promoted by automobile and railway connections, as well as by the ecological affinities of the species, which prefers ruderal biotopes with low vegetation and often settles in waste ground along roads and in other anthropogenic habitats.…”

Malacofauna of Crimea as a possible source of introductions to other regions of Ukraine: land snails of non-Crimean origin

“…The present distribution of M. cartusiana in Ukraine, as well as the chronology of the discovery of this species in the west of the country, have been reviewed in several publications (Balashov & Markova, 2023a;Gural-Sverlova & Gural, 2023). In 2023, we made additional anatomically verified finds of M. cartusiana in some settlements of the Lviv region, namely in Drohobych, Zapytiv, Zolochiv, Solonka, near Chyshky and Stebnyk.…”

“…Easily spread by vehicles (Gural-Sverlova & Gural, 2023), M. cartusiana could have been accidentally introduced from Crimea to other coastal regions of Ukraine in the 20th century. For comparison: in the Zaporizhzhia region, where Monacha species were not known at the beginning of the 20th century (Lindholm, 1908), now M. cartusiana is found much less frequently than the species of Crimean origin M. fruticola (Gensytskyi, 2021;Gural-Sverlova & Gural, 2020, 2023) that has become widespread and mass there.…”

“…Due to anthropochory, many land molluscs have significantly expanded their ranges in Ukraine, which has become especially noticeable in recent decades (Balashov & Markova, 2023a, 2023bGural-Sverlova & Gural, 2023;Gural-Sverlova & Rodych, 2023;Gural-Sverlova et al, 2022, etc.). Because of global climate warming, some species previously recorded only in the south of Ukraine or even only in Crimea have been able to successfully adapt to living in settlements and several other habitats in the west (see review in Gural-Sverlova & Gural, 2021) and north of the country (Balashov & Markova, 2023a, 2023bGural-Sverlova & Rodych, 2023).…”

“…Previously, we have already emphasized the important role of the Crimean Peninsula as a potential source of the primary introduction of some species of land molluscs into the steppe zone of Ukraine outside Crimea. Having spread widely in the steppe zone, the species of Crimean origin such as Brephulopsis cylindrica (Menke, 1828) or Monacha fruticola (Krynicki, 1833) then began to increasingly penetrate (as a result of anthropochory) into other parts of Ukraine (Balashov & Markova, 2023a;Balashov et al, 2018;Gural-Sverlova & Gural, 2021, 2023, Vychalkovskaya, 2008.…”