Open AccessMolecular and morphological divergence in a stygobiont gastropod lineage (Truncatelloidea, Moitessieriidae, Paladilhiopsis ) within an isolated karstic area in the Mecsek Mountains (Hungary)
Author(s) -
Angyal Dorottya,
Balázs Gergely,
Krízsik Virág,
Herczeg Gábor,
Fehér Zoltán
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of zoological systematics and evolutionary research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.769
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1439-0469
pISSN - 0947-5745
DOI - 10.1111/jzs.12220
Subject(s) - biology , allopatric speciation , subspecies , cave , karst , divergence (linguistics) , genetic divergence , morphometrics , taxon , taxonomy (biology) , phylogenetic tree , evolutionary biology , lineage (genetic) , zoology , ecology , paleontology , genetic diversity , population , genetics , gene , linguistics , philosophy , demography , sociology
Truncatelloid gastropods are one of the most species‐rich subterranean invertebrate groups. Their current taxonomy is based on morphological characters. However, this is not a comprehensive approach and does not take into account the degree of phylogenetic divergence between stygobiont populations inhabiting hydrologically isolated but geographically close caves. We studied two Paladilhiopsis populations of a small and isolated karstic area (Mecsek Mountains, Hungary) with two hydrologically separated cave systems, investigating morphological (shell morphometrics) and genetic ( COI , 16S ) divergence together. The populations differed both morphologically and genetically: we found strong divergence in the relative width of the shell (best described by the variable “shell angle”) and a 6.4% divergence in COI . This provides strong support for the presence of two distinct taxa; however, it is still doubtful whether they differ at the species or the subspecies level. In one of the caves, we found representatives of both haplotypes (and phenotypes), which can be explained by secondary contact after an allopatric divergence.