Francesco Criscione

A phylogenetic analysis of rissooidean and cingulopsoidean families (Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda)

The Rissooidea is one of the largest and most diverse molluscan superfamilies, with 23 recognized Recent families including marine, freshwater and terrestrial members. The Cingulopsoidea are a group of three marine families previously included within the Rissooidea. A previous molecular analysis including two rissooideans and one cingulopsoidean, indicated the possibility that the Rissooidea is at least diphyletic. We use new molecular data to investigate the polyphyly of Rissooidea and test the monophyly of Cingulopsoidea with a greatly increased taxon set. This study includes the greatest sampling to date with 43 species of 14 families of Rissooidea and all families of Cingulopsoidea. Bayesian and maximum likelihood analyses of 16S and 28S show that there are two major clades encompassing taxa previously included in Rissooidea. These are the Rissooidea s.s. containing Rissoidae and Barleeiidae and the Truncatelloidea containing Anabathridae, Assimineidae, Falsicingulidae, Truncatellidae, Pomatiopsidae, Hydrobiidae s.l., Hydrococcidae, Stenothyridae, Calopiidae, Clenchiellidae, Caecidae, Tornidae, and Iravadiidae. Rissoidae is not monophyletic, with Lironoba grouping with Emblanda (Emblandidae) and Rissoina forming a separate clade with Barleeiidae. Iravadiidae is not monophyletic, with Nozeba being sister to the Tornidae. Tatea, usually included within Hydrobiidae, is distinct from that family and Nodulus, previously included in Anabathridae, groups with the hydrobiids.

Conserved shell disguises diversity in Mesodontrachia land snails from the Australian Monsoon Tropics (Gastropoda: Camaenidae)

We comprehensively revise the taxonomy of the camaenid genus Mesodontrachia Solem, 1985, which is endemic to the Victoria River District and East Kimberley in the north‐western Australian Monsoon Tropics based on comparative analyses of key morphological features and mitochondrial DNA sequences. We examined newly collected samples from several collection sites spread over nearly 20 000 km2 of mostly inaccessible land, which represented all three currently known and three previously undescribed species. All species were initially identified as members of Mesodontrachia based on their similar, putatively typical shell. However, Mesodontrachia as so delimited was polyphyletic in a mitochondrial phylogeny with respect to several other camaenid genera from NW Australia. Contrary to the shell, we found considerable variation in the penial anatomy that was consistent with the mtDNA differentiation. To retain monophyletic taxa, we propose a revised taxonomy whereby Mesodontrachia is maintained as a monotypic taxon. In addition, four genera (Nodulabium, Ototrachia, Pseudomesodontrachia and Vincentrachia) and three species (P. gregoriana, O. compressa and N. solidum) are newly described. The shell of all these taxa is highly conserved and of little taxonomic utility. Shell similarity is attributed to a similar life style in a similar and harsh environment.

A molecular phylogeny of camaenid land snails from north-western Australia unravels widespread homoplasy in morphological characters (Gastropoda, Helicoidea)

North-western Australia harbours more than 300 species of camaenid land snail in 41 genera exhibiting considerable and well documented morphological diversity. We performed Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood analyses of concatenated nuclear (28S) and mitochondrial (COI, 16S) DNA sequences from 140 species of 37 of these genera plus an additional 27 extralimital species in order to resolve their phylogenetic relationships and to address the significance of morphological characters for the delineation of monophyletic taxa. While north-western Australian Camaenidae in their entirety are not monophyletic with respect to extralimital groups, they underwent extensive in situ-diversification in several independent phylogenetic radiations. A Maximum Likelihood-based character history reconstruction revealed extensive convergence in all studied shell characters and in three out of four genital features across this group. However, in some genera close morphological similarity is best explained by the retention of ancestral characters. We hypothesize that both morphological stasis in some groups and convergent character evolution in others can to a large extent be attributed to adaptive transformations in response to historically increasing aridity throughout north-western Australia in concert with structural constraints.

More on snails and islands: molecular systematics and taxonomic revision of Setobaudinia Iredale (Gastropoda : Camaenidae) from the Kimberley, Western Australia, with description of new taxa

Abstract. Setobaudinia Iredale, 1933 is a genus of camaenid land snails endemic to the Western Australian Kimberley. It comprises 20 currently recognised species, most of which occur within the north-western high precipitation zone between the Admiralty Gulf and Collier Bay and within less than 60 km distance from the coast. Exceptionally, two species are found on isolated limestone outcrops in the drier interior of the Victoria River District, Northern Territory. By studying the differentiation in shell and genital anatomy as well as in the mitochondrial markers 16S and COI, we revise the taxonomy of Setobaudinia and describe new taxa. The Northern Territory species S. victoriana Solem, 1985 is identified as a member of the genus Trachiopsis, which otherwise comprises species from the York Peninsula, Queensland. The species Damochlora spina Solem, 1985 is shown to be a member of the genus Setobaudinia. A new species from the eastern Kimberley has been identified as the sister group of Setobaudinia. It is placed in the new genus Kymatobaudinia for exhibiting morphological characteristics that differ from those of all other Setobaudinia species. In addition, we describe nine new species from coastal areas and islands off the cost throughout the south-west to north-west Kimberley: S. angustilabiata, sp. nov.; S. colmani, sp. nov.; S. incisa, sp. nov.; S. kessneri, sp. nov.; S. latilabiata, sp. nov.; S. longiflagellata, sp. nov.; S. malbyana, sp. nov.; S. minima, sp. nov.; S. plana, sp. nov.

Arnhemtrachia ramingining: a new genus and species of land snail from Arnhem Land, Australia (Stylommatophora: Camaenidae)

The new, monotypic camaenid genus Arnhemtrachia is described for the new species Arnhemtrachia ramingining from Ramingining, Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia with additional records from the Gove Peninsula in eastern Arnhem Land. This camaenid is characterised by a combination of distinct morphological features, such as a small, discoidal, keeled shell with regular axial ribs, open umbilicus and simple, rounded aperture as well as a reproductive system with a long epiphallus possessing a long flagellum and absence of a penial sheath, with a flap on the penial wall which transverses longitudinal pilasters, and a long, simple bursa copulatrix. Based on comparative morphology, Arnhemtrachia reveals affinities with Trozena morata Iredale, 1838 from NE Queensland.

On the land snail Damochlora Iredale, 1938 and its cryptic sibling Nannochlora n. gen. (Stylommatophora: Camaenidae), each endemic to an island in the Western Australian Kimberley

The camaenid genus Damochlora Iredale, 1938 endemic to the Western Australian Kimberley is poorly defined by shell characters only. Two out of three previously recognised species have recently been removed from this genus and placed in Setobaudinia Iredale, 1933 rendering the type species D. millepunctata (Smith, 1894) the only member of this genus. Based on the study of ethanol-preserved material from the type locality, Baudin Island, we revise the taxonomy of Damochlora, which is maintained as a distinct and monotypic genus. The examination of material from Cassini Island previously considered to be conspecific with D. millepunctata on account of possessing a nearly identical shell revealed that these snails represent a distinct species, for which the taxon name cassiniensis Smith, 1894 is available. This species is characterised by a profoundly different reproductive anatomy and therefore recognised as a distinct genus, for which the new name Nannochlora is being introduced. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3189D63A-F183-4677-8EE6-293774EA8BA7

Cardiotrachia and Rachita – two new land snail genera from the East Kimberley, Western Australia (Eupulmonata: Camaenidae)

Two new monotypic camaenid genera Cardiotrachia gen. nov. and Rachita gen. nov. are described for the two new species C. bastionensis n. sp. from the Bastion Ranges and R. carltonensis n. sp. from the Onslow Hills, respectively, in the East Kimberley, Western Australia. Cardiotrachia is characterized by distinct anatomical features, such as a small shell devoid of macroscopic sculpture with a peculiarly heart-shaped aperture and a coiled penis without epiphallus. Rachita is characterized by a shell flatter than that of any other camaenids of similar size from the East Kimberley, a lacking epiphallus and a complex penial wall sculpture. A mitochondrial DNA phylogeny corroborates the recognition of Cardiotrachia and Rachita as distinct genera with respect to other confamilial taxa from north-western Australia. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:60FA3A41-6A3B-4EBE-8B05-B7960B7EEEBF

Setocallosa – a new genus and species of land snail from Arnhem Land, Australia (Stylommatophora: Camaenidae)

The new, monotypic camaenid genus Setocallosa is described for the new species S. pathutchingsae from Arnhem Land, Top End of the Northern Territory. This camaenid is characterized by a combination of distinct morphological features, such as a small, weakly elevated shell with widely open umbilicus and thick callus on the parietal wall, a wide epiphallic flagellum, elongated penis and short bursa copulatrix with subglobose end. The relationships of Setocallosa with the other camaenid genera in the area are investigated by means of mtDNA, but its phylogenetic position remains ambiguous. S. pathutchingsae occurs in sympatry with Arnhemtrachia ramingining, but based on morphology the two camaenids can be readily differentiated. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:1C50CF24-7FEE-446A-9724-A0A4E850B5AA

Taxonomic rectification: Kimberleytrachia leopardus Criscione & Köhler, 2014 is a synonym of K. umbonis (Solem, 1979)

ABSTRACT In the latest systematic revision of the camaenid land snail Kimberleytrachia from the Western Australian Kimberley region by Criscione and Köhler (2014), two species were confused. This error is corrected herein: The species described as K. leopardus Criscione & Köhler, 2014 is in fact identical with the earlier described species K. umbonis (Solem, 1979). Therefore, the name K. leopardus is a junior synonym of the latter. By contrast, material assigned to K. umbonis by Criscione and Köhler (2014) represented a yet unnamed species, which is here newly described as K. bachstenensis n. sp. Both species occur in the Prince Regent River National Park: K. umbonis occurs north of the Prince Regent River while K. bachstenensis n. sp. occurs south of it. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:459E83CD-6C10-46AE-A73B-DDC5EB9F350A

The Enidae of Timor (Stylommatophora: Orthurethra)

ABSTRACT The systematic classification of the Enidae of Timor is reviewed by means of comparative morphology and molecular phylogenetics using recently collected land snail samples from Timor-Leste (‘East Timor’). Features of the renal and genital anatomy as well as analyses of nuclear 28S rRNA sequences confirm the placement of the species in the Enidae. Generic combinations employed by earlier authors are discussed. The name Coccoderma Möllendorff, 1901 used for enids from the Indo-Australian Archipelago is pre-occupied by Coccoderma Zittel, 1887 and therefore not available. The assignment of species from Timor to Pseudonapaeus Westerlund, 1887, which is otherwise known from central Asia, is also rejected. Instead, the Enidae from Timor are here affiliated with Apoecus Kobelt, 1902, a name originally introduced for the Papuan species Buliminus colonus Möllendorff, 1895. While Apoecus samples from Timor-Leste form three distinct mitochondrial clades, only two groups can be reliably distinguished by their morphology. One of these groups represents the previously named species Apoecus apertus (Martens, 1863). This species is found throughout lowland Timor occurring at altitudes of up to 600 m. The second species has been found in the Ramelau Mountains at altitudes above 1300 m, and is described as Apoecus ramelauensis n. sp. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3A8781B6-6EAC-4C58-8DB3-63741B03B43C