Multilocus phylogeny, species delimitation and biogeography of Iberian valvatiform springsnails (Caenogastropoda: Hydrobiidae), with the description of a new genus

Abstract

Valvatiform gastropods of the family Hydrobiidae are frequently found in European spring-fed systems. Their simplified and sometimes convergent morphological structures and restricted geographical ranges make the description and identification of valvatiform species challenging. In the Iberian Peninsula, to date, 20 valvatiform species have been described morphologically. To test morphological species delimitations and to evaluate the role of physical geography on their evolutionary history, we analysed two mitochondrial (COI and 16S rRNA) and two nuclear (28S rRNA and 18S rRNA) gene fragments of 16 valvatiform species from the Iberian Peninsula. Molecular species delimitation methods consistently inferred 11 of the nominal species. Our phylogenetic analyses recovered the species Islamia azarum as an independent lineage, distantly related to other genera, which we place in the new genus Deganta. Furthermore, Iberian valvatiform hydrobiids do not form a monophyletic subunit, but they are included in two distinct clades of Hydrobiidae. Divergence times indicate that speciation in these clades is likely to have coincided with the formation of major Iberian mountain ranges and river basins. Similarities of geographical subdivision and divergent times between this assemblage and the non-valvatiform genus Corrosella provide strong evidence for the role of the Iberian geographical barriers in shaping the biogeography of these springsnails.