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Monophyly, candidate species and vicariance in Biomphalaria snails (Mollusca: Planorbidae) from the Southern Andean Altiplano
Author(s) -
Collado Gonzalo A.,
Vila Irma,
Méndez Marco A.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
zoologica scripta
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.204
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1463-6409
pISSN - 0300-3256
DOI - 10.1111/j.1463-6409.2011.00491.x
Subject(s) - biology , planorbidae , monophyly , vicariance , ecology , biomphalaria , zoology , clade , phylogenetic tree , gastropoda , pulmonata , schistosomiasis , biochemistry , schistosoma mansoni , gene , helminths
Collado, G. A., Vila, I. & Méndez, M. A. (2011). Monophyly, candidate species and vicariance in Biomphalaria snails (Mollusca: Planorbidae) from the Southern Andean Altiplano. — Zoologica Scripta , 40 , 613–622. The landscape of the Neotropical southern Andean Altiplano is characterized by a succession of closed basins originated from the Miocene to the Holocene. In this region, the number of species and phylogenetic relationships among freshwater snails of the genus Biomphalaria are uncertain. Here we obtained sequences of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase subunit I from 17 Altiplano populations, including topotypes of three nominal species, which were analyzed together with published sequences of the genus using different methods of phylogenetic reconstruction and a species of Helisoma as outgroup. The Altiplano populations conform a monophyletic group whose sister group is the Neotropical species Biomphalaria peregrina. Within this clade we recovered four main lineages well supported and congruent with geographical distributions. One clade includes topotypes restricted exclusively to the Ascotán basin, the type locality of the nominal species Biomphalaria crequii . A second clade includes sequences that correspond to topotypes restricted to the Isluga and Carcote basins, the type localities of the nominal species Biomphalaria aymara and Biomphalaria costata , respectively. Two monophyletic groups clustered snails restricted to several aquatic systems within the Caquena and Lauca basins, which may represent candidate species. The branching pattern of the sequences suggests that in the diversification of these snails, events of vicariance inferred in the Pleistocene have predominated over dispersal phenomena.