Integrative Taxonomy of the Bubble Snails (Cephalaspidea, Heterobranchia) Inhabiting a Promising Study Area: The Coastal Sicilian Faro Lake (Southern Italy)

The worldwide diffused bubble snails, Haminoeidae, although characterized by an extreme morphological homogeneity, display the most diverse radiation inside the order Cephalaspidea. This hidden diversity within the family Haminoeidae was recently unraveled by molecular studies, which helped to understand the evolutionary history of this group by clarifying some aspects of its systematics. In fact, the type genus Haminoea W. Turton and Kingston (1830) was proved to be polyphyletic and, consequently, the genus Haminoea sensu stricto was restricted to the Mediterranean, Atlantic and East Pacific species, with the Mediterranean Haminoea hydatis Linnaeus (1758) as the type taxon. However, at the specie rank, many aspects need to be clarified, especially concerning the Mediterranean fauna. Due to low reliability of macro-morphological characters, the minimal quantity of molecular data currently available on Mediterranean specimen adds to the lack of molecular comparison in most reports. Based on such considerations, Haminoea species from an interesting Mediterranean study area, Faro Lake, a Sicilian coastal lake that is considered a hot spot for both alien and endemic marine Heterobranchia, have been studied using an integrative taxonomic approach. Eleven Mediterranean specimens belonging to four Haminoea bubble snails have been collected, identified and compared with samples from other localities, integrating ecological, morphological, anatomical (reproductive apparatus) and molecular data. Based on molecular investigations carried out on three different molecular markers (H3, 16S and COI), the morphological identifications of the species collected in the Faro Lake have been confirmed, and 37 new sequences are provided for future comparisons. Furthermore, results from this integrative systematic study shed light on the phylogenetic relationships occurring in this group of bubble snails that could be useful in identifying valid diagnostic morphological characters. Haminoea hydatis and H. navicula were confirmed to be close to each other, with H. orteai as sister to them and with H. orbignyana as the basal taxon. Given external morphological features are unreliable with species identification in Haminoea genus open questions on the geographical distribution of the species and on their ranges of intraspecific variability have yet to be addressed and further in-depth studies are needed. Finally, the presence of three sympatric Haminoea species, two of which are considered native or long-time naturalized, along with other occasional congeneric species, and the absence of the introduced invasive Haloa japonica, reflects both the resilience and stochastic space-temporal dynamics of Faro Lake. This confirms it as an inexhaustible source of case-studies

<p><strong><em>TANDONIA BOLENSIS</em></strong><strong> N. SP., A NEW SLUG (GASTROPODA: PULMONATA: MILACIDAE) FROM THE ISLAND OF BRAČ (DALMATIA, CROATIA)</strong><strong></strong></p>

The genus Tandonia Lessona & Pollonera, 1882 is represented along the Western Balkans by about 13 taxa, most of which are regional endemics. Recent collecting on the island of Brač (Croatia) has provided a single, fully grown specimen of a totally black slug. A careful investigation of the genital anatomy and body traits, reveal characteristic and unique morphological features which until now have never been observed in other representatives of the genus. Such results have led to the description of new species. Tandonia bolensis n. sp. is easily distinguishable by virtue of its genital features, the dummy-like penial-atrial papilla, and the long and partially spiral-convoluted, thorny spermatophore

Unio Philipsson 1788

Genus Unio Philipsson, 1788, in Retzius (1788) Type species: Mya pictorum Linnaeus, 1758 (fixed by ICZN under the plenary powers; Welter-Schultes, 2012). Type locality: “Habitat in Europaea fluviis”, recent.Published as part of Marrone, Federico, Nardi, Gianbattista, Cianfanelli, Simone, Govedič, Marijan, Barra, Salvatore Alessandro, Arculeo, Marco & Bodon, Marco, 2019, Diversity and taxonomy of the genus Unio Philipsson in Italy, with the designation of a neotype for Unio elongatulus C. Pfeiffer (Mollusca, Bivalvia, Unionidae), pp. 339-374 in Zootaxa 4545 (3) on page 353, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4545.3.2, http://zenodo.org/record/261891

Diversity and taxonomy of the genus Unio Philipsson in Italy, with the designation of a neotype for Unio elongatulus C. Pfeiffer (Mollusca, Bivalvia, Unionidae)

Novel Unio spp. populations from Slovenia, the Italian peninsula, Sardinia and Sicily were genetically analysed in order to define the distribution and diversity of the genus Unio in Italy and neighbouring areas. The presence of two primarily allopatric autochtonous species, Unio elongatulus Pfeiffer, and Unio mancus Lamarck, is confirmed for the Italian peninsula, Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily. Autochthonous populations of Unio elongatulus are present in the peri-Adriatic drainages of the Italian and Balkan peninsulas, south as far as the Ofanto River (Apulia, Italy) and Lake Skadar (Albania), while its presence in the Tyrrhenian rivers of Tuscany is likely due to anthropogenic introduction events. Conversely, Unio mancus turtonii Payraudeau, an endangered peri-Tyrrhenian taxon, was found with autochthonous populations in the Apennine-Tyrrhenian drainages of peninsular Italy, eastern Mediterranean France, Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily, while the actual autochthony of the single population found in the Ionian basin of the Italian peninsula (Bradano River, Basilicata) deserves further investigation. The Italian population of U. mancus requienii Michaud, reported from Lake Montepulciano is to be considered allochthonous. The binomen U. elongatulus, although widely used in the recent scientific literature, was, to date, assigned to a doubtful species, because its type locality includes a large area inhabited by different Unio taxa, which are not clearly distinguishable by their shell alone; furthermore, no type material is present in historical collections. To retain the recently-used name, a new restricted type locality is established, where only U. elongatulus lives, and a neotype is designated. The validity of the subspecies of Unio mancus is also discussed and confirmed. Finally, hypotheses on the origin of Italian mussels, and considerations on their conservation status are discussed

Unio elongatulus C. Pfeiffer 1825

&lt;i&gt;Unio elongatulus&lt;/i&gt; C. Pfeiffer, 1825 &lt;p&gt;Synonymy&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio glaucinus&lt;/i&gt; Porro, 1838; type locality: &bdquo;fiume Bevera&ldquo;, Lombardy, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio corrosus&lt;/i&gt; Villa &amp; Villa, 1841; type locality: &bdquo;in parvi lacubus provinciae Comensis, et praecipue Eupili lacu (Lago di Pusiano)&ldquo;, Lombardy, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio pallens&lt;/i&gt; Rossm&auml;ssler, 1842; type locality: &bdquo;Dalmatien&ldquo;, Croatia.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio Sandrii&lt;/i&gt; Rossm&auml;ssler, 1844; type locality: &bdquo;Dalmatien&ldquo;, Croatia.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio pictorum&lt;/i&gt; var. a &lt;i&gt;Parva&lt;/i&gt; Stabile, 1845; type locality: &bdquo;fiume Tresa&ldquo;, Canton Ticino, Switzerland.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio Sandrii&lt;/i&gt; var. &lt;i&gt;sericatus&lt;/i&gt; Rossm&auml;ssler, 1844; type locality: &bdquo;[Dalmatien]&ldquo;, Croatia.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio spinellii&lt;/i&gt; Spinelli, 1852; type locality: &bdquo;Lago d&rsquo;Idro&ldquo;, Lombardy, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio Petrovichii&lt;/i&gt; K&uuml;ster, 1854; type locality: &ldquo;in der Moraka in Montenegro &rdquo;, Montenegro.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio Petterianus&lt;/i&gt; K&uuml;ster, 1854; type locality: &ldquo; In Dalmatien im Narentaflusse &rdquo;, Croazia&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio viridiflavus&lt;/i&gt; K&uuml;ster, 1854; type locality: &ldquo;im Moraka-Fluss in Montenegro &rdquo;, Montenegro.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio requienii&lt;/i&gt; var. &lt;i&gt;Blauneri&lt;/i&gt; Stabile, 1859; type locality: &ldquo;[lago] di Muzzano&ldquo;, Canton Ticino, Switzerland.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio requienii&lt;/i&gt; var. &lt;i&gt;Oriliensis&lt;/i&gt; Stabile, 1859; type locality: &bdquo;lago di Orilio od Origlio&ldquo;, Canton Ticino, Switzerland.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio requienii&lt;/i&gt; var. &lt;i&gt;Ƒulgaris&lt;/i&gt; Stabile, 1859; type locality: &bdquo;nel Ceresio e nella Tresa&ldquo;, Canton Ticino, Switzerland.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio ovalis&lt;/i&gt; var. &lt;i&gt;intercedens&lt;/i&gt; Gredler, 1860; type locality: &bdquo;Gardasee&ldquo;, Lombardy, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio Fiscallianus&lt;/i&gt; Kobelt, 1873; type locality: &bdquo;Dalmatia &hellip; Districtshauptstadt Imoschi bei dem St&auml;dtchen Glavina&ldquo;, Croatia.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio requienii&lt;/i&gt; var. &lt;i&gt;sebinensis&lt;/i&gt; Adami, 1876; type locality: &bdquo;lago di Iseo&ldquo;, Lombardy, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio Dalmaticus&lt;/i&gt; Drou&euml;t, 1879a; type locality: &bdquo;La Zermagna, pr&egrave;s Muscovitz (district d'Obbrovazzo); le Krupa, affluent de la Zermagna (Dalmatie)&ldquo;, Croatia.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio robustus&lt;/i&gt; Drou&euml;t, 1879a; type locality: &bdquo; Le Lac de C&ocirc;me; les rivi&egrave;res de la Lombardie &ldquo;, Lombardy, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio ceratinus&lt;/i&gt; Drou&euml;t, 1879b; type locality: &bdquo;La Zermagna, &agrave; Muscovitz, et &agrave; Billisane (Dalmatie)&ldquo;, Croatia.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio Kleciaki&lt;/i&gt; Drou&euml;t, 1879b; type locality: &bdquo;Le lac de Prolosaz, pr&egrave;s Imoski, en Dalmatie &hellip;; la Narenta, en Dalmatie&ldquo;, Croatia.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio decipiens&lt;/i&gt; Drou&euml;t, 1881a; type locality: &bdquo;Le lac de Scutari: Albanie turque&rdquo;. Montenegro / Albania.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio brachyrhynchus&lt;/i&gt; Drou&euml;t, 1881b; type locality: &bdquo;le lac de Garde, &agrave; Sermione, &agrave; Desenzano&rdquo;, Lombardy, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio succineus&lt;/i&gt; Drou&euml;t, 1881b; &ldquo;La Zermagna, pr&egrave;s de Muscovitz: Dalmatie&rdquo;, Croazia.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio Opisodartos&lt;/i&gt; Adami, 1882; type locality: &bdquo;prope Chiari in canalibus Provincia Brixiana&ldquo;, Lombardy, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio Stephaninii&lt;/i&gt; Adami, 1882; type locality: &bdquo;lacu Castro Toblini&ldquo;, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio delpretei&lt;/i&gt; Bourguignat, 1883; type locality: &bdquo;Castelgoffredo&ldquo;, Lombardy, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio eucallistellus&lt;/i&gt; Bourguignat, 1883; type locality: &bdquo; Lac de C&ocirc;me &ldquo;, Lombardy, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio Gurkensis&lt;/i&gt; Bourguignat, 1883; type locality: &bdquo;lac de Garde, &hellip; pr&egrave;s de Desenzano&ldquo;, Lombardy, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio padanus&lt;/i&gt; Bourguignat, 1883; type locality: &bdquo;P&ocirc; &agrave; Turin&ldquo;, Piedmont, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio strobeli&lt;/i&gt; Bourguignat, 1883; type locality: &bdquo; Canal de Gattacchio &agrave; Parme&ldquo;, Emilia-Romagna, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio veillanicus&lt;/i&gt; Bourguignat, 1883; type locality: &bdquo;lac d&rsquo;Avigliano, pr&egrave;s de Turin&ldquo;, Piedmont, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio verbanicus&lt;/i&gt; Bourguignat, 1883; type locality: Lac Majeur, pr&egrave;s de Laveno &ldquo;, Lombardy, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio Benacinus&lt;/i&gt; Drou&euml;t, 1884; type locality: &bdquo;le lac de Garde, &agrave; Rivoltella&ldquo;, Lombardy, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio Brianteus&lt;/i&gt; Drou&euml;t, 1884; type locality: &bdquo;le lac de Sartirana&ldquo;, Lombardy, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio fluminalis&lt;/i&gt; Drou&euml;t, 1884; type locality: &bdquo;le P&ocirc; &hellip;; l&rsquo;Oglio &hellip;; Mantoue&ldquo;, Northern Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio Gredleri&lt;/i&gt; Drou&euml;t, 1884; type locality: &bdquo;le lac de Garde&ldquo;, Northern Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio Idrinus&lt;/i&gt; Drou&euml;t, 1884; type locality: &bdquo;le lac d&rsquo;Idro &hellip;; le lac d&rsquo;Iseo&ldquo;, Lombardy, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio Longobardus&lt;/i&gt; Drou&euml;t, 1884; type locality: &bdquo;le Mincio &hellip;; l&rsquo;Osone &hellip;; Solferino&ldquo;, Lombardy, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio minusculus&lt;/i&gt; Drou&euml;t, 1884; type locality: &bdquo;le lac de Garde, pr&egrave;s de Desenzano&ldquo;, Lombardy, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio nitidus&lt;/i&gt; Drou&euml;t, 1884; type locality: &bdquo;le P&ocirc;, &agrave; Turin &hellip;; un &eacute;tang &agrave; Casinalbo, pr&egrave;s de Mod&egrave;ne&ldquo;, Piedmont and Emilia- Romagna, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio siliquatus&lt;/i&gt; Drou&euml;t, 1884; type locality: &bdquo;le P&ocirc;, &agrave; Turin&ldquo;, Piedmont, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio subcylindricus&lt;/i&gt; Drou&euml;t, 1884; type locality: &bdquo;le Tessin &ldquo;, Canton Ticino, Switzerland.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio Larius&lt;/i&gt; Kobelt, 1885; type locality: &bdquo;in Oberitalien, Comersee, Provinz Brescia, Brianza (Villa); im Lambro (Pini)&rdquo; Lombardy, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio cusianus&lt;/i&gt; Pini, 1885; type locality: &bdquo;lago Cusio o d&rsquo;Orta fra Pella e Alzo&ldquo;, Piedmont, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio rusticus&lt;/i&gt; Pini, 1885; type locality: &bdquo;lago di Garlate o di Pescarenico&ldquo;, Lombardy, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio athesinus&lt;/i&gt; Adami, 1886; type locality: &bdquo;Adige, nei vecchi alvei abbandonati dopo la rettificazione del suo corso. &hellip; Mattarello, Calliano, Aldeno e Marco&ldquo;, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio Bourguignatianus&lt;/i&gt; Adami, 1886; type locality: &bdquo;flumine Oglio prope Cannetto, provincia Mantuana&ldquo;, Lombardy, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio Cristophori&lt;/i&gt; Adami, 1886; type locality: &bdquo;lacu Levici, provincia Tridentina&ldquo;, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio Piccinellii&lt;/i&gt; Adami, 1886; type locality: &bdquo;Seriate, provincia Bergomese&ldquo;, Lombardy, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio Ruffonii&lt;/i&gt; Adami, 1886; type locality: &bdquo;Prope Conegliano, provincia Trevisii&ldquo;, Veneto, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio Tommasii&lt;/i&gt; Adami, 1886; type locality: &bdquo;canale Tartarello Fuga prope Castrogoffredi, provincia Mantuana&ldquo;, Lombardy, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio Lijacensis&lt;/i&gt; Kobelt, 1890; type locality: &bdquo;im Lijak, einem Zurfluss des Isonzo, im &ouml;sterreichischen K&uuml;stenland &ldquo;, Slovenia.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio Lijacensis&lt;/i&gt; var. &lt;i&gt;Gallensteini&lt;/i&gt; Kobelt, 1890; type locality: &bdquo; Torrente Versa im Isonzogebiet &ldquo;, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio humerosus&lt;/i&gt; Westerlund, 1890; type locality: &bdquo; Oberitalien im See bei Caldonazzo &ldquo;, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio limosus&lt;/i&gt; var. &lt;i&gt;Arcensis&lt;/i&gt; Gredler, 1894; type locality: &bdquo; Bei Arco in Sarkathale &ldquo;, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio limosus&lt;/i&gt; var. &lt;i&gt;Costanus&lt;/i&gt; Gredler, 1894; type locality: &bdquo; Laghetti di Costa bei Pergine&ldquo;, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio limosus&lt;/i&gt; var. &lt;i&gt;madranus&lt;/i&gt; Gredler, 1894; type locality: &bdquo;Madrano (Valsugana)&ldquo;, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio humerosus&lt;/i&gt; var. &lt;i&gt;Monticellensis&lt;/i&gt; Gredler, 1894; type locality: Montiggler See &ldquo;, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio athesinus&lt;/i&gt; var. &lt;i&gt;trilacensis&lt;/i&gt; Gredler, 1894; type locality: &bdquo;&ldquo; Mittlerer See von Terlago bei Villa Steffanelli&ldquo;, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio directus&lt;/i&gt; Drou&euml;t, 1896; type locality: &bdquo;Le petit lac de Lago, pr&egrave;s de Serravalle, province de Tr&eacute;vise&ldquo;, Veneto, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio palustris&lt;/i&gt; Drou&euml;t, 1896; type locality: &bdquo;Les lacs d'Annone, de Pusiano, de Segrino&ldquo;, Lombardy, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio segregatus&lt;/i&gt; Drou&euml;t, 1896; type locality: &bdquo;Le canal de la Brenta, &agrave; la Mira, pr&egrave;s Padoue&rdquo;, Veneto, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio thermalis&lt;/i&gt; Drou&euml;t, 1896; type locality: &bdquo;Les eaux thermales de Battaglia, dans la province de Padoue&rdquo;, Veneto, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio istrianus&lt;/i&gt; Stossich, 1899; type locality: &bdquo; Lago di Cepich nell&rsquo;Istria&ldquo;, Croatia.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio humerosus var. elongata&lt;/i&gt; Kobelt, 1914; type locality: &bdquo;See von Caldonazzo im Trentino &ldquo;, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio humerosus var. roboretana&lt;/i&gt; Kobelt, 1914; type locality: &bdquo;Etsch bei Roveredo&ldquo;, Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Unio morlachicus&lt;/i&gt; Kobelt, 1914; type locality: &bdquo;Dalmatien&ldquo;, Croatia.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;b&gt;Note:&lt;/b&gt; As the species is indistinguishable by shell characters, the list of synonyms is deduced from the distribution of the species.&lt;/p&gt;Published as part of &lt;i&gt;Marrone, Federico, Nardi, Gianbattista, Cianfanelli, Simone, Govedič, Marijan, Barra, Salvatore Alessandro, Arculeo, Marco &amp; Bodon, Marco, 2019, Diversity and taxonomy of the genus Unio Philipsson in Italy, with the designation of a neotype for Unio elongatulus C. Pfeiffer (Mollusca, Bivalvia, Unionidae), pp. 339-374 in Zootaxa 4545 (3)&lt;/i&gt; on pages 353-354, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4545.3.2, &lt;a href="http://zenodo.org/record/2618916"&gt;http://zenodo.org/record/2618916&lt;/a&gt