Open AccessThe pattern of geographical and altitudinal variation in the land snail Albinaria idaea from Crete (Gastropoda: Clausiliidae)
Author(s) -
WELTERSCHULTES F. W.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
biological journal of the linnean society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.906
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1095-8312
pISSN - 0024-4066
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8312.2000.tb01256.x
Subject(s) - altitude (triangle) , land snail , gastropoda , biology , ecology , snail , variation (astronomy) , predation , mediterranean climate , lamella (surface anatomy) , spatial variability , physical geography , paleontology , geography , statistics , physics , geometry , mathematics , astrophysics
Certain morphological characters in the Mediterranean land snail genus Albinaria arc believed not to be closely related to ecological conditions. Recently this view has been challenged by a study on A. idaea from central Crete (Greece) claiming that shell characters such as rib density, apcrtural lamella sizes and shell size parameters depend on ecological variables related to altitude. The present study suggests that variation in apertural lamellae, shell size parameters and shell shape were not related to altitude. Neither were they closely related to expected temperature gradients, nor to Drilits beetle predation pressure, nor to vegetational cover (forests/open land). The rib density was the only factor responding to altitude, but after accounting for altitude, altitude‐independent regional variation was also of importance. The correlation with altitude was possibly caused by a response to temperature gradients.