Abstract
In this paper some helicoid species from eastern Algeria are investigated using a morphological and molecular approach. The investigation of the genital organs of M. massylaea (Morelet, 1851), the type species of the genus Massylaea Möllendorff, 1898, showed the same autapomorphic character states as are considered typical for Eobania P. Hesse, 1913. These findings are fully supported by the genetic analysis using two mitochondrial and three nuclear markers. Thus, the latter genus has to be considered a synonym of the former. Currently, three species are known to comprise the genus, viz. M. massylaea, M. constantina (E. Forbes, 1838), and M. vermiculata (O. F. Müller, 1774). Several nominal taxa from northern Africa are synonymised with one of the species mentioned here under Massylaea. The generic position of the so-called “Massylaea” species from the High Atlas Mountains in southern Morocco remains unresolved.
Highlights
The north-eastern part of Algeria, which is called “La Grand Kabylie”, is an area seldom in the focus of malacological research
The results of our study strongly support the monophyly of the genus Massylaea
This is evidenced by traits of the genital organs as well as by the genetic analysis, which is based on two mitochondrial and three nuclear markers
Summary
The north-eastern part of Algeria, which is called “La Grand Kabylie”, is an area seldom in the focus of malacological research. After the main active period in the second half of the 19th century, which culminated in the monumental work of Bourguignat (1863-1864) on Algeria as a whole, and the very detailed list for the Kabylie published by Letournex (1870). Additional information was supplied by Péchaud (1880), while the activities of Paul Pallary, who dominated the research on Northafrican molluscs after the death of Bourguignat in 1892 focused mainly on north-west Algeria and Morocco. It is the aim of the senior author of this paper to re-activate the malacological research in the area. The establishment of a modern checklist for the area summarising and implementing the results of the latest research is planned
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call