Does the genetic structure of spring snail Bythinella (Caenogastropoda, Truncatelloidea) in Bulgaria reflect geological history?

Bythinella is a minute dioecious caenogastropod that inhabits springs in central and southern Europe. In the Balkans, previous studies have addressed its morphological and genetic differentiation within Greece and Romania while the Bulgarian species have remained poorly known. The aim of the present paper has been to expand the knowledge on the subject in Bulgaria. Shell morphology and anatomy of the reproductive organs were examined, and a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene and the nuclear ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer 1 (ITS-1) were sequenced from 15 populations. Additional sequences from eight previously studied populations were included in our analyses. Phylogenetic analyses revealed five main mitochondrial DNA clades, which were partly confirmed by analyses of the ITS-1 sequences. The genetic differentiation between the clades was found to be in the range p=2.4-11.8%. Most of the populations belonged to clade I, representing B. hansboetersi, and were distributed in SW Bulgaria. Clades II and III inhabit areas adjacent to clade I and were most closely related with the latter clade. Much more distinct were clade V, found at one locality in NW Bulgaria, and clade IV, found at one locality in SE Bulgaria, close to the sea. Four populations were found in caves, but only one of these represented a distinct clade. Considering the observed pattern of interpopulation differentiation of Bythinella in Bulgaria, we can suppose that isolation between clades I, II and III may have been caused by glaciations during the Pleistocene. The time of isolation between the above three clades and clade IV coincides with the Messinian Salinity Crisis, and the time of isolation between the clade V and the other four most probably reflects the isolation of the Rhodopes from western Balkan Mts by the seawater of the Dacic Basin

A new species of Kerkia Radoman, 1978 (Caenogastropoda, Hydrobiidae) from Bosnia and Herzegovina

A new species of Kerkia, K. briani Rysiewska & Osikowski, sp. nov. is described from the spring Polički Studenac Vrelo (Crkvina), adjacent to the Trebišnjica River (Bosnia and Herzegovina) collected with Bou-Rouch technique, pumped from an interstitial habitat 50 cm below the bottom of the spring. The shell, female reproductive organs, and the penis are described and illustrated. Mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and nuclear histone H3 partial sequences confirm the distinctness of the new species, and molecularly based phylogenetic relationships of Kerkia are briefly presented

Dvije nove vrste slatkovodnih puževa (Gastropoda: Truncatelloidea) iz špilje Rudnica VI u Hrvatskoj

Two new subterranean freshwater gastropod species from the superfamily Truncatelloidea were found during a field trip in the cave Rudnica VI located in central Croatia, near the town of Ogulin. They have been described based on their conchological characteristics and therefore only preliminary assigned to Plagigeyeria and Paladilhiopsis genera. These two species represent a new addition to the already unique freshwater fauna of Rudnica VI.Tijekom terenskog istraživanja u špilji Rudnica VI, smještenoj u središnjoj Hrvatskoj blizu grada Ogulina, pronađene su dvije nove vrste slatkovodnih puževa iz natporodice Truncatelloidea. Opisane su na temelju njihovih kućica i stoga tek preliminarno svrstane u rodove Plagigeyeria i Paladilhiopsis. Ove dvije vrste predstavljaju novi dodatak već sada jedinstvenoj slatkovodnoj fauni špilje Rudnica VI

Two new Truncatelloidea species from Melissotrypa Cave in Greece (Caenogastropoda)

In the small lake located in the cave Melissotrypa in Thessalia, Greece, truncatelloidean gastropods representing two species were found, new to science. One of them, represented by two specimens only, has been described based on the shell characters only; with its cytochrome oxidase sequence it has been assigned to the genus Iglica, and to the family Moitessieriidae, Iglica hellenica sp. n. For the other species, represented by 30 collected specimens, the shell, protoconch, radula, head, penis and female reproductive organs have been described; all the morphological characters and cytochrome oxidase sequences have confirmed its assignment to the genus Daphniola (Hydrobiidae: Sadlerianinae), Daphniola magdalenae Falniowski, sp. n

Daphniola Radoman, 1973 (Caenogastropoda: Truncatelloidea) at east Aegean Islands

Shell habitus and COI mitochondrial gene sequences of one freshwater snail from Khios and three from Rhodes islands were analysed. Both methods confirmed assignment of these specimens to the genus Daphniola Radoman, 1973. Genetic distance between individuals from these two islands is surprisingly low, strongly suggesting that they belong to the same species, still undescribed. Comparison of COI sequences with other known species of this genus shows that the closest relative of the Khios and Rhodes populations is D. louisi Falniowski et Szarowska, 2000 from Attica. The results are discussed in the context of geological and climatic history of the Mediterranean