Zoltán Fehér

Citizen Science Reveals Unexpected Continental-Scale Evolutionary Change in a Model Organism

Organisms provide some of the most sensitive indicators of climate change and evolutionary responses are becoming apparent in species with short generation times. Large datasets on genetic polymorphism that can provide an historical benchmark against which to test for recent evolutionary responses are very rare, but an exception is found in the brown-lipped banded snail (Cepaea nemoralis). This species is sensitive to its thermal environment and exhibits several polymorphisms of shell colour and banding pattern affecting shell albedo in the majority of populations within its native range in Europe. We tested for evolutionary changes in shell albedo that might have been driven by the warming of the climate in Europe over the last half century by compiling an historical dataset for 6,515 native populations of C. nemoralis and comparing this with new data on nearly 3,000 populations. The new data were sampled mainly in 2009 through the Evolution MegaLab, a citizen science project that engaged thousands of volunteers in 15 countries throughout Europe in the biggest such exercise ever undertaken. A known geographic cline in the frequency of the colour phenotype with the highest albedo (yellow) was shown to have persisted and a difference in colour frequency between woodland and more open habitats was confirmed, but there was no general increase in the frequency of yellow shells. This may have been because snails adapted to a warming climate through behavioural thermoregulation. By contrast, we detected an unexpected decrease in the frequency of Unbanded shells and an increase in the Mid-banded morph. Neither of these evolutionary changes appears to be a direct response to climate change, indicating that the influence of other selective agents, possibly related to changing predation pressure and habitat change with effects on micro-climate.

Six new subterranean freshwater gastropod species from northern Albania and some new records from Albania and Kosovo (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Moitessieriidae and Hydrobiidae)

During a field trip to the western part of the Balkan Peninsula in 2016, investigations of several caves and karstic springs revealed six new gastropod species living in subterranean waters and resulted in some note-worthy faunistic records. Five of the new species are assigned to the genus Paladilhiopsis Pavlović, 1913, namely P. prekalensis sp. n., P. lozeki sp. n., P. szekeresi sp. n., P. wohlberedti sp. n., P. falniowskii sp. n. and one to the genus Plagigeyeria Tomlin, 1930, namely P. steffeki sp. n. New Albania and Kosovo distribution records are given for Iglica illyrica Schütt, 1975, Plagigeyeria zetaprotogona Schütt, 1960, Vinodolia matjasici (Bole, 1961), and the first georeferenced record is given for Saxurinator schlickumi Schütt, 1960. The most important environmental factors influencing habitat selection of these subterranean freshwater gastropods are briefly discussed.

Revision of the genus Pseudopomatias and its relatives (Gastropoda: Cyclophoroidea: Pupinidae)

The present paper revises all species that have been assigned to Pseudopomatias Möllendorff, 1885 and Nodopomatias Gude, 1921. The following new species are described: Pseudopomatias abletti Páll-Gergely, n. sp. (northeastern India), Pseudopomatias harli Páll-Gergely, n. sp. (northeastern India), Pseudopomatias linanprietoae Páll-Gergely n. sp. (Laos), Pseudopomatias maasseni Páll-Gergely & Hunyadi, n. sp. (Vietnam and China), Pseudopomatias nitens Páll-Gergely n. sp. (Vietnam), Pseudopomatias prestoni Páll-Gergely, n. sp. (northeastern India), Pseudopomatias reischuetzi Páll-Ger-gely, n. sp. (north-eastern India), Pseudopomatias shanensis Páll-Gergely n. sp. (Myanmar) and Pseudopomatias sophiae Páll-Gergely, n. sp. (Vietnam). Pseudopomatias fulvus is moved to the synonymy of P. amoenus. Csomapupa n. gen. is erected for Pseudopomatias grandis and P. luyorensis. Another new genus, Vargapupa is erected with two species, namely Vargapupa biheli Páll-Gergely, n. sp. (Vietnam) and V. oharai Páll-Gergely, n. sp. (Laos). Both new genera are probably closely related to Pseudopomatias and Nodopomatias. All the currently available type specimens of species in these groups are figured. Anatomical information of P. eos and DNA sequence data of two Pseudopomatias species indicate that the genus is a member of the family Pupinidae. The other pre-existing hypothesis, namely that Pseudopomatias is a member of the Cochlostomatidae, is not supported by our results.

Revision of the subterranean genus Spelaeodiscus Brusina, 1886 (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Spelaeodiscidae)

Abstract The Balkan genus Spelaeodiscus Brusina, 1886 is revised based on museum collections and newly collected samples from Montenegro and Albania. The following species and subspecies are introduced as new to science: Spelaeodiscus albanicus edentatus Páll-Gergely & P. L. Reischütz, ssp. n. (southern Montenegro and northern Albania), Spelaeodiscus densecostatus Páll-Gergely & A. Reischütz, sp. n., Spelaeodiscus hunyadii Páll-Gergely & Deli, sp. n., Spelaeodiscus latecostatus Páll-Gergely & Erőss, sp. n. (all three from southern Montenegro), Spelaeodiscus unidentatus acutus Páll-Gergely & Fehér, ssp. n., and Spelaeodiscus virpazarioides Páll-Gergely & Fehér, sp. n. (both from northern Albania). For all species and subspecies diagnoses and suggestions for conservation status assessments according to IUCN criteria are provided. An overview is given regarding the habitat preference of Spelaeodiscus species, and the “scratch and flotate” method to collect subterranean gastropods.

An integrative taxonomic approach to infer the systematic position of Chalepotaxis Ancey, 1887 (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora: Helicarionidae)

ABSTRACT In the absence of knowledge about its anatomy, the systematic position of the genus Chalepotaxis, which inhabits a large part of South East Asia, has been historically dubious. The genitalia, sole of the foot and the caudal region of the type species, Chalepotaxis infantilis (Gredler, V. 1881. Zur Conchylien-Fauna von China. III. Stück. Jahrbücher der Deutschen Malakozoologischen Gesellschaft 8, 110–128), are described, which place this genus into the Helicarionidae family. DNA markers (cytochrome oxidase subunit I [COI] and 28S rRNA genes) corroborate this assignment and unequivocally remove the species from the Camaenidae (=Bradybaenidae) and Ariophantidae, where it had previously been placed. Radular morphology of the type species is also re-described and illustrated.