Abstract
Molecular analysis of nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) and 16S ribosomal DNA (16SrDNA) as well as nuclear histone 3 (H3) and internal transcribed spacer 2 of rDNA (ITS2) gene fragments together with morphological analysis of shell and genitalia features showed that English, French and Italian populations usually assigned to Monacha cantiana consist of four distinct lineages (CAN-1, CAN-2, CAN-3, CAN-4). One of these lineages (CAN-1) included most of the UK (five sites) and Italian (five sites) populations examined. Three other lineages represented populations from two sites in northern Italy (CAN-2), three sites in northern Italy and Austria (CAN-3), and two sites in south-eastern France (CAN-4). The taxonomic and nomenclatural setting is only currently available for lineages CAN-1 and CAN-4; a definitive frame for the other two requires much more research. The lineage CAN-1 corresponds to the true M. cantiana (Montagu, 1803) because it is the only one that includes topotypical English populations. The relationships and genetic distances support the hypothesis of the Italian origin of this lineage which was probably introduced to England by the Romans. The lineage CAN-4 is attributed to M. cemenelea (Risso, 1826), for which a neotype has been designated and deposited. Its diagnostic sequences of COI, 16SrDNA, H3 and ITS2 genes have also been deposited in GenBank. Molecular and morphological (shell and genitalia) features showed that M. parumcincta (Rossmässler, 1834) is a distinct taxon from the M. cantiana lineages.
Highlights
Monacha is a diverse genus of the trochuline hygromiids widespread in the western Palaearctic from western Europe to north Africa, Iran, and Arabia
77 sequences of cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) as MG208883–MG208959, 71 sequences of 16S ribosomal DNA (16SrDNA) as MG208960–MG209030, 42 sequences of histone 3 (H3) as MG209031–MG209072 and 31 sequences of internal transcribed spacer 2 of rDNA (ITS2) as MH137963–MH137993 were deposited in GenBank
It is noteworthy that sequences of haplotypes UK-COI 1 and UK-16S 1 are identical to sequences KM247375 and KM247390 deposited in GenBank for COI and 16SrDNA of M. cantiana, respectively (Pieńkowska et al 2015)
Summary
Monacha is a diverse genus of the trochuline hygromiids widespread in the western Palaearctic from western Europe to north Africa, Iran, and Arabia. It includes a large number of nominal species and shows its highest diversity in the eastern sector of southern Europe and in Turkey (Hausdorf 2000a, 2000b, Welter-Schultes 2012, Neiber and Hausdorf 2017). Monacha cantiana (Montagu, 1803) is one of the westernmost species. It is a medium-sized land snail living among grass in open habitats such as grasslands, pastures, cultivated and uncultivated fields or forest edges and clearings. In the British Isles it is considered to have been introduced and this hypothesis is supported by the absence of a Holocene fossil record in England older than the third century AD (Kerney et al 1964, Kerney 1970, 1999, Evans 1972)
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