Abstract
We describe three new species of springsnails (genus Pyrgulopsis) from the Amargosa River basin, California and Nevada (P. licina sp. n., P. perforata sp. n., P. sanchezi sp. n.), each of which was previously considered to be part of P. micrococcus. We also restrict P. micrococcus to its type locality area (Oasis Valley) and redefine a regional congener, P. turbatrix, to include populations from the central Death Valley region and San Bernardino Mountains that had been previously identified as P. micrococcus. The five species treated herein form genetically distinct lineages that differ from each other by 4.2–12.6% for mtCOI and 5.2–13.6% for mtNDI (based on previously published and newly obtained data), and are diagnosable by shell and/or penial characters. The new molecular data presented herein confirm sympatry of P. licina and P. sanchezi in Ash Meadows (consistent with morphological evidence) and delineate an additional lineage of P. micrococcus (in the broad sense) that we do not treat taxonomically owing to the paucity of morphological material. Conservation measures are needed to ensure the long term persistence of populations of P. micrococcus and a genetically differentiated lineage of P. sanchezi which live in disturbed habitats on private lands.
Highlights
The western North American hydrobiid gastropod genus Pyrgulopsis is composed of 134 currently recognized species (Hershler and Liu 2012) which typically live in springs and have very narrow geographic ranges
Based on the genetic evidence of distinctiveness and diagnosable shell and/or penial characters we recognize three of these lineages as new species which are described below, restrict P. micrococcus to its type locality area (Oasis Valley, clade A), and revise P. turbatrix to include populations from the central Death Valley region and San Bernardino Mountains that had been previously identified as P. micrococcus
The three novelties described increase the number of Pyrgulopsis species in the Death Valley region to 17 (Hershler and Sada 2002) and add to the large body of evidence supporting recognition of this desert area as one of the most significant hotspots of rarity and richness in the United States (Chaplin et al 2000)
Summary
The western North American hydrobiid gastropod genus Pyrgulopsis (commonly known as springsnails) is composed of 134 currently recognized species (Hershler and Liu 2012) which typically live in springs and have very narrow geographic ranges This large radiation is characterized by a high degree of morphological conservatism and homoplasy, which has posed difficulties in delineating species limits and phylogenetic relationships (Hershler 1994, Liu and Hershler 2005). We present additional molecular data that confirm sympatry of two of these novelties at various sites in Ash Meadows (consistent with our morphological evidence) and delineate a new lineage of P. micrococcus (in the broad sense) in northern Death Valley that is not taxonomically treated owing to inadequate material
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