Somoza-Valdeolmillos E., Gómez-Moliner B.J., Caro A., Chueca L.J., Martínez-Ortí A., Madeira M.J
eder.somoza@ehu.eus;
Chondrina is a highly diverse genus of terrestrial molluscs currently including 46 species. It is distributed through North Africa, central and southern Europe, from Portugal in the West to the Caucasus and Asia Minor in the East. Approximately 70% of species are endemic to the Iberian Peninsula constituting its main center of speciation with 33 species. The classification of the taxa included within soleri + granatensis + gasulli complex is still controversial. Based on the morphology of the shell, Gittenberger (1973) described Chondrina gasulli, while considered C, soleri within C, farinesii s.l. Later on, Alonso (1974) described C. farinesii granatensis. Recent molecular studies have demonstrated that the number of species inside this complex has been underestimated. Kokshoorn et al. (2010), based on morphology and DNA sequences of the COI gene fragment separated C. aguilari and C. guiraoensis, with full species status, and described four new species: C. arigonoides, C. ingae, C. marjae, and C. pseudavenacea. They proposed another 2 species within this clade (C. spec. 2 and C. spec. 3). With the aim to progress in the resolution of the taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships within this complex of species we have analysed two mtDNA gene fragments (COI and 16S rRNA), and another two nDNA gene fragments (ITS1-5.8S and 5.8S-ITS2-28S). The results were analysed by different species delimitation methods (ABGD, BPP and Stacey). We included all the taxa mentioned above and some other adjoining populations. Phylogenetics and species delimitation analyses showed that another nine new species have to be considered within this complex. The new results allowed to reconstruct the phylogenetic relationships of all these taxa and to update their taxonomy.
Acknowledgements: Somoza-Valdeolmillos E. was supported by a PhD fellowship awarded in 2015 by the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU).