Hydrobiid Gastropods Research Articles

Detection of multiple fish species in the diet of the invasive round goby reveals new trophic interactions in the Baltic Sea

The mesopredatory round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) is an important fish invader in fresh and brackish waters of the northern hemisphere. Trophic interactions of invasive species can generate ecological impacts across the food web in invaded ecosystems. Here we investigated major diet components, spatiotemporal variation in diet and the effect of round goby densities on diet composition in two geographically distinct round goby populations in the Baltic Sea. The round goby is a generalist feeder but previous diet studies, based on visual prey identification, have likely over-emphasized the importance of hard-shelled, invertebrate prey in round goby diet, as shells degrade and evacuate slowly relative to soft-bodied prey that break down rapidly in the stomach. We therefore, in addition to visual stomach content analysis, used DNA metabarcoding, which is less biased towards hard body structures of prey and can be used for species assignment of highly degraded prey. The results demonstrated that round goby diet composition varied between areas and years. Visual stomach content analysis indicated that blue mussel was the main prey in the southern area, whereas hydrobiid gastropods were the major diet component in the northern area. Metabarcoding revealed that several fish species, likely the egg or larval stages of e.g. stickleback, cod and herring, were also part of the round goby diet. Analyses suggested that round goby feeding on fishes was positively associated with round goby densities. Our study shows that round goby, in addition to benthic invertebrates, preys on several fish species of ecological and commercial importance. Thus, there is potential for predator-prey reversal and negative effects of the invasive round goby on large, predatory fishes.

Ifrania bahhouensis sp. n. a new valvatiform snail (Gastropoda, Hydrobiidae) from Morocco

The genus Ifrania Glöer, Mabrouki et Taybi 2020 (Hydrobiidae) was recently described from Morocco; its type species is Ifrania zerroukansis Glöer, Mabrouki et Taybi, 2020 found in the Middle Atlas massif, geographically isolated and known for its other endemic molluscs. Ifrania bahhouensis sp. n. is a new valvatiform hydrobiid gastropod from Morocco; it can be distinguished from I. zerroukansis by the morphology of the shell and anatomical criteria. The new species was found in the northern part of Morocco, in the Sebou River basin. The aim of this paper is to describe the new springsnail species.

New data on the valvatiform-shelled Hydrobiidae (Caenogastropoda, Truncatelloidea) from southern Greece.

The minute valvatiform-shelled Hydrobiidae are less studied than other hydrobiid gastropods. In this paper, new data on these snails are presented, which have been collected at twelve springs in southern Greece: one in Boeotia, one on Evvoia Island, and ten on the Peloponnese Peninsula. Mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and nuclear histone (H3) have been used to confirm the determinations and infer the relationships of the studied gastropods. They represent the genera Daphniola, Graecoarganiella and Isimerope. New localities, expanding the known geographic ranges, have been presented for Daphniolahadei and Daphniolalouisi. A species of Daphniola found at two localities has been identified as a species new to science, and its description, including the shell, penis, and female reproductive organs is given. Possible relationships between Graecoarganiella and Isimerope are discussed; their representatives are possibly new species. At one locality a single specimen likely represents a new genus: it was found to be most closely related with Islamia, but genetically (p-distance) too distant to be congeneric with Islamia.

Holotypes for three Caspian gastropods of the family Hydrobiidae tracked down: description and taxonomic interpretations.

Type series of three nominal taxa of the hydrobiid gastropods inhabiting the Caspian Sea were traced recently in the uncatalogued part of the malacological collection of the Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint-Petersburg. Images of the holotypes and some paratypes of Pyrgula isseli Logvinenko Starobogatov, 1969, P. sowinskyi Logvinenko Starobogatov, 1969 and P. derzhavini Logvinenko Starobogatov, 1969 are presented. The first two species belong to the genus Clathrocaspia (subfamily Caspiinae) and P. sowinskyi is considered a junior synonym of C. pallasii (Clessin W. Dybowski in W. Dybowski, 1887). The attribution of the third species, P. derzhavini, to Laevicaspia (Pyrgulinae) is confirmed based on the newly discovered type material. Based on the additional information we update ecological data and distribution ranges of the species, provide comments on their nomenclature, systematic position and taxonomic rank.

A new hydrobiid species (Caenogastropoda, Truncatelloidea) from insular Greece

Daphniola dionesp. nov., a valvatiform hydrobiid gastropod from Western Greece, is described based on conchological, anatomical and molecular data. D. dione is distinguished from the other species of the Greek endemic genus Daphniola by a unique combination of shell and soft body character states and by a 7–13% COI sequence divergence when compared to congeneric species. The only population of D. dione inhabits a cave spring on Lefkada Island, Ionian Sea.

The Serbian Lake System: a stepping stone for freshwater molluscs in the middle Miocene

AbstractThe first in‐depth revision of a lacustrine freshwater mollusc fauna of the Serbian Lake System (SLS) is carried out. We describe and discuss well‐preserved faunas from two localities in central and southern Serbia (Mađere and Medoševac), along with the reinvestigation of type material of several species described in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Our revision yields 14 species of gastropods, with the families Hydrobiidae (six species) and Planorbidae (four species) being most abundant, along with one species each of Neritidae, Melanopsidae, Bithyniidae and Bulinidae, as well as two dreissenid bivalve species. Three of the hydrobiid gastropods are new to science, Prososthenia milosevici sp. nov., Prososthenia? naissensis sp. nov., and Prososthenia rundici sp. nov., and so is the bivalve Trigonipraxis madjerensis sp. nov. The present study results in 12 lectotype designations, 10 new generic combinations, and 10 new junior synonyms. About four‐fifths (81.3%) of the species are endemic to the SLS, which is slightly higher than the overall SLS endemism (71.4%). The composition at the genus and family level overlaps strongly with the slightly older faunas of the Dinaride Lake System in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as that of the late Miocene Lake Pannon. Its stratigraphically intermediate position and geographical proximity suggest that the SLS was a stepping stone for many of the mollusc lineages, some of which are found only in those systems.

Ecological opportunity may facilitate diversification in Palearctic freshwater organisms: a case study on hydrobiid gastropods

BackgroundDifferences in species richness among phylogenetic clades are attributed to clade age and/or variation in diversification rates. Access to ecological opportunity may trigger a temporary increase in diversification rates and ecomorphological variation. In addition, lower body temperatures in poikilothermic animals may result in decreasing speciation rates as proposed by the metabolic theory of ecology. For strictly freshwater organisms, environmental gradients within a river continuum, linked to elevation and temperature, might promote access to ecological opportunity and alter metabolic rates, eventually influencing speciation and extinction processes. To test these hypotheses, we investigated the influence of environmental temperature and elevation, as proxies for body temperature and ecological opportunity, respectively, on speciation rates and ecomorphological divergence. As model systems served two closely related gastropod genera with unequal species richness and habitat preferences – Pseudamnicola and Corrosella.ResultsLineage-through-time plots and Bayesian macroevolutionary modeling evidenced that Pseudamnicola species, which typically live in lower reaches of rivers, displayed significantly elevated speciation rates in comparison to the ‘headwater genus’ Corrosella. Moreover, state-dependent speciation models suggested that the speciation rate increased with decreasing elevation, supporting the ecological opportunity hypothesis. In contrast, a significant effect of environmental temperature, as proposed by the metabolic theory of ecology, could not be observed. Disparity-through-time plots, models of ecomorphological evolution, and ancestral habitat estimation showed for Pseudamnicola species rapid morphological divergence shortly after periods of elevational and habitat divergence. In contrast, Corrosella species did not deviate from null models of drift-like evolution.ConclusionOur finding that speciation rates are correlated with elevation and ecomorphological disparity but not with environmental temperatures suggests that differences in ecological opportunity may have played a key role in Corrosella and Pseudamnicola diversifications. We propose that Pseudamnicola lineages experienced higher ecological opportunity through dispersal to new locations or habitats in lowlands, which may explain the increase in speciation rates and morphological change. In contrast, the evolution of Corrosella in headwaters is likely less facilitated by the environment and more by non-ecological processes.

A NEW SPECIES OF BENTHIC FORAMINIFERA FROM AN INLAND BAHAMIAN CARBONATE MARSH

A new benthic foraminifer, Helenina davescottensis nov. sp., is described from an oligohaline carbonate marsh (palustrine environment) located in a sinkhole on Grand Bahama Island, The Bahamas. The uppermost stratigraphy in the sinkhole is characterized by up to 260 cm of peat, which is overlain by 5–10 cm of carbonate sediment that contain H. davescottensis . Ontogenetic variability is illustrated with a full sequence of individuals from two chambers (proloculus + first chamber) through eight chambers. Chamber arrangement is planispiral evolute in juveniles that have fewer than three chambers, but arrangement changes to trochospiral evolute when the fourth chamber is added. Adults rarely exceeded 6–7 chambers and were never observed with more than 8 chambers. Supplementary apertures are common and diverse, and multi-chambered individuals typically achieve 100–200 μm in diameter. Helenina davescottensis was found co-occurring with other low-oligohaline microfossils ( Jadammina macrescens , testate amoebae, charophytes, and hydrobiid gastropods), but not other common euryhaline hyaline foraminifera (e.g., H. anderseni , Ammonia tepida ). Given the sinkhole stratigraphy, perhaps H. davescottensis was an early colonizer of a recently generated palustrine environment.

On the taxonomic status of the highly endangered Ponto-Caspian gastropod genus Caspia (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae: Caspiinae)

Caspia is an endemic Ponto-Caspian Basin genus of hydrobiid gastropods. Around a dozen nominal species of Caspia have been described to inhabit the Caspian Sea while four species occupy a restricted zone in the lower part of the rivers flowing into the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Scanning electron microscopic study of the protoconch and radula morphology of two Caspia species from the Azov–Black Sea Basin allows re-evaluation of the taxonomic rank and attribution of the genus. The adult shell geometry and characters of ornamentation do not enable clear demarcation of these species of Caspia but the protoconch parameters do allow their differentiation. Available morphological data on Caspia and the related genus Caspiohydrobia are interpreted here as confirmation of the subfamilial rank of Caspiinae in the family Hydrobiidae, in contrast to the previous affiliation of this group with Pyrgulidae.

Phylogeography of an endangered Western North American springsnail

We provide the first genetic analysis of the Bruneau Hot Springsnail (Pyrgulopsis bruneauensis), a federally listed (endangered) hydrobiid gastropod that is distributed in spring-fed habitats along a short reach of the Bruneau River in southwestern Idaho and threatened with extinction by groundwater withdrawal. Partial sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit I (NDI) were obtained from 51 specimens from six sites spanning the narrow geographic range of P. bruneauensis. A Bayesian analysis of the combined dataset resolved this species as a well supported clade which differed from other regional congeners by 4.66–10.62% sequence divergence (COI). The 11 observed COI haplotypes in P. bruneauensis formed two divergent (1.42 ± 0.7%) subgroups that co-occurred at five of the six collecting sites. COI haplotype diversity was substantial (ranging up to 0.9111) in all but one sample, while nucleotide diversity was low (<0.01). AMOVA detected small but significant variation among sites, although only one sample was significantly differentiated by pairwise comparisons. Haplotype composition varied widely among the collecting localities and no obvious geographic pattern was detected. These findings suggest that translocation of snails, which was considered as a possible measure in the P. bruneauensis recovery plan, should be preceded by assays to ensure selection of appropriately genetically diverse source populations.

The genus &lt;i&gt;Daphniola&lt;/i&gt; Radoman, 1973 (Caenogastropoda: Hydrobiidae) in the Peloponnese, Greece

A valvatiform hydrobiid gastropod, found in a spring at Dhiaselo, W of Sparta, N. Taigetos Mts., Peloponnese, Greece, was identified as Horatia hadei Gittenberger, 1982. Its protoconch sculpture, female reproductive organs and penis morphology are characteristic of Daphniola Radoman, 1973. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis based on COI (cytochrome oxidase subunit I) fragments of mtDNA proved that the species is congeneric with D. exigua (A. Schmidt, 1856) and D. louisi Falniowski et Szarowska, 2000, and thus belongs to the genus Daphniola, and that D. hadei, D. exigua and D. louisi are species-level distinct taxa.

"&lt;i&gt;Hauffenia&lt;/i&gt;" Pollonera, 1898 (Caenogastropoda: Hydrobiidae) in Slovakia: a preliminary report

We studied the shell and penis morphology, and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequences, in minute, valvatiform hydrobiid gastropods from Slovensky Kras, Slovakia. The morphology confirmed the assignment of the studied snails to the genus Hauffenia, while in the molecular tree they were placed within the Hydrobiidae, and not close to Hauffenia. The results indicate that the Slovak valvatiform hydrobiids are two taxa which presumably represent two genera: Hauffenia Pollonera, 1898 and Lobaumia Haase, 1993. More molecular data on the Austrian and Hungarian taxa are needed.

Ecrobia grimmi in brackish Lake Sawa, Iraq: indirect evidence for long-distance dispersal of hydrobiid gastropods (Caenogastropoda: Rissooidea) by birds

Ecrobia grimmi in brackish Lake Sawa, Iraq: indirect evidence for long-distance dispersal of hydrobiid gastropods (Caenogastropoda: Rissooidea) by birds

Evolutionary trends and relationships in hydrobiids (Mollusca, Caenogastropoda) of the Azov-Black Sea Basin in the light of their comparative morphology and paleozoogeography

A recent phylogenetic study based on mitochondrial DNA data suggested that the hydrobiid genus Falsipyrgula from SW Anatolia and Euxinipyrgula from the Azov-Black Sea Basin are closely related. Here, new data on the protoconch morphology are provided and radular and anatomical data of this group of hydrobiid gastropods from the Azov-Black Sea Basin are reviewed. It is also shown that the supposed close relationship between the two aforesaid genera is reflected in an involved combination of similarity and dissimilarity of their representatives. The most prominent teleoconch dissimilarity of Falsipyrgula and Euxinipyrgula is a keel in former and absence of a keel in latter. Homology and origin of the keel in Falsipyrgula from the shoulder of Euxinipyrgula is hypothesized and discussed in detail. Protoconch morphology and characters of the reproductive systems of both sexes suggest that Falsipyrgula is more similar to Euxinipyrgula from the Azov-Black Sea Basin than to any other known hydrobiid from the Balkan (e.g., Pyrgula and Dianella). Paleontological data and the region's paleogeography suggest that the evolution of the genus Falsipyrgula is historically connected to the Black Sea Basin rather than to the Balkan's ancient lakes Ohrid or Prespa. The Anatolian genus Falsipyrgula and the Azov-Black Sea Basin's genera Turricaspia and Euxinipyrgula are attributed to the subfamily Turricaspiinae B. Dybowski & Grochmalicki, 1915. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

A second species of Pyrgulopsis (Hydrobiidae) from the Missouri River basin, with molecular evidence supporting faunal origin through Pliocene stream capture across the northern continental divide

The large, predominantly western North American hydrobiid gastropod genus Pyrgulopsis includes a single species from the upper Missouri River basin (MRB), P. bedfordensis, which is thought to have originated through a late Neogene transfer of drainage from the eastern Snake River Plain across the northern continental divide. Here we describe a second, morphologically distinctive congener living in the MRB, P. blainica new species; investigate the phylogenetic relationships of these two snails relative to other regional congeners using cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences; and evaluate whether our findings are consistent with vicariance resulting from prior stream capture across the northern continental divide. A Bayesian analysis of 39 COI sequences delineated the two MRB species as a well supported, terminal clade that is most closely related to a congener from the southern Bonneville Basin (P. anguina). Application of an available molecular clock for Pyrgulopsis suggests that the MRB clade diverged from its sister taxon 3.64 2 2.53 Ma (late Pliocene). Although these results are not consistent with the hypothesized origin of this fauna through a late Miocene drainage transfer from the upper Snake River basin, they conform to a more recent stream capture event involving truncation of southward drainage from the MRB that was previously postulated on the basis of molluscan distributions. This study provides the first molecular phylogenetic evidence that bears upon the freshwater molluscan biogeography across the northern continental divide.

The conservation ecology of North American pleurocerid and hydrobiid gastropods

Many North American freshwater mollusks are at risk of extinction. Knowledge of basic ecology and systematics of the pleurocerid and hydrobiid gastropods is lacking. Pleurocerids are most diverse in southeastern USA, and we know that periphyton food limits their growth, and that their grazing, in turn, limits periphyton biomass. However, we know little about the effects of spates and current velocity on pleurocerid populations, and more work is needed to determine whether interspecific competition or significant risk from predation occurs. Hydrobiids are extremely diverse, but many species inhabit only a few springs (especially in arid western USA) and are at risk of extinction. More work is needed on their population and community ecology. Invasions pose a risk to native snail species. For example, the New Zealand mudsnail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) interacts negatively with several hydrobiids in the Snake River in western USA. We suggest several research avenues that are needed if we are to maintain and restore pleurocerid and hydrobiid snail populations.

The radiation of hydrobiid gastropods in New Zealand: A revision including the description of new species based on morphology and mtDNA sequence information

A revision of New Zealand hydrobiid gastropods resulted in the description of 46 new species out of a total of 64, which belong to 15 genera, nine of them new. This revision is based on morphological data as well as sequence information of two mtDNA fragments. The majority of species occur in seepages, springs and the ground‐water and many have very narrow ranges. The morphological diversification appears to be linked to these habitats. Their common feature is the absence of predators. The genetics of three morphologically distinct species found in springs and streamlets suggest they have only recently split from the common, widespread Potamopyrgus antipodarum. Predator pressure, on the other hand, may have stabilised shell shape of three genetically distinct but otherwise cryptic species of Potamopyrgus, which occur in rivers, lakes and estuaries. Many species occur sympatrically. In one case of sympatry P. antipodarum appeared to displace another, slightly smaller species into crevices and other microhabitats not accessible for the former. Phylogenetic relationships were reconstructed based on the concatenated mtDNA sequences using Bayesian analyses, maximum likelihood and minimum evolution (LogDet distances). The three reconstruction methods gave very similar results suggesting that heterogeneous base frequencies were not a confounding factor. Analyses of character evolution revealed convergence in the digestive system as well as in the female and male genitalia. Radular features suggested a relationship of New Caledonian and New Zealand hydrobiids.

The conservation ecology of North American pleurocerid and hydrobiid gastropods

The conservation ecology of North American pleurocerid and hydrobiid gastropods

Three main stressors acting on the Ria Formosa lagoonal system (Southern Portugal): Physical stress, organic matter pollution and the land–ocean gradient

During the last 15 years of the 20th century, several researchers carried out extensive sampling of benthic macrofauna communities in the Ria Formosa lagoon. The main objective of this paper is to discern the main communities of benthic fauna of the Ria Formosa and the leading stressors that limit them based on this large data set. The high species richness and high diversity values observed at most of the stations or groups of stations indicate a good ecological status, with the exception of the sewage-impacted areas and the physically stressed areas. It was possible to define three main stressors acting on the Ria Formosa. The most important is the physical stress imposed by the limited water renewal in some areas of the Ria Formosa. The second is the nutrient and organic matter pollution that is limited to the vicinity of the sewage outfall stations and to some locations of the Ria Formosa. This is due to the dual effects of the low residence time of water, but also due to a degradation of water quality in places of relatively restricted water circulation but with high primary production, symptoms of eutrophication. The third stressor is the natural land–ocean gradient, denoting the influence of seawater exchanges and emersion time, attenuated by the high water exchange rates of Ria Formosa. It was possible to differentiate the anthropogenic stress from the natural physical stress through the application of multivariate analysis. However, both structural (species richness and diversity indices) and functional indicators (trophic composition) indicate the same trend – low species richness, low diversity indices, and a community dominated by detritivores species at the locations characterized by high anthropogenic impact or by physical stress. The physically stressed areas were dominated by chironomid larvae and hydrobiid gastropods and the most polluted areas were dominated by oligochaetes, mainly tubificids.

Disentangling causes of disjunction on the South Island of New Zealand: the Alpine fault hypothesis of vicariance revisited

Many elements of the flora and fauna of New Zealand’s South Island show disjunct distributions with conspecific populations or closely-related species that occur in the north-west and south separated by a central gap. Three events have been implicated to account for this pattern: Pleistocene glaciations, Pliocene mountain building, or displacement along the Alpine fault, the border of the Pacific and Australian plates stretching diagonally across the South Island from south-west to north-east that formed during the Miocene. Disjunct distributions of species level taxa are probably too young to be due to Alpine fault vicariance. It has therefore been suggested that the biogeographical impact of the Alpine fault, if any, should be apparent on deeper phylogenetic levels. We tested this hypothesis by reconstructing the phylogenetic relationships of the hydrobiid gastropods of New Zealand based on mitochondrial DNA fragments of cytochrome oxidase subunit I (CO I) and 16S rDNA. The creno- and stygobiont species of this family are typically poor dispersers. Therefore, ancient patterns of distribution may be conserved. The phylogenetic reconstructions were in accordance with the Alpine fault hypothesis uniting genera occurring on either side of the fault. Divergence estimates based on a molecular clock of CO I indicated splits predating the Pliocene uplift of the Alps. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 91, 361–374.