A new Radix species from Qinling Mountains, China (Gastropoda: Lymnaeidae)

Abstract

A new representative of the genus Radix has been recorded from eastern China, Radix dgebuadzei sp. nov. This peculiar species was recorded from the Qinling Mountains, a remote highland region sharing the high levels of faunal and floral endemism. The phylogeny indicate that the new species belongs to the Radix alticola species group, being sister to the widespread species R. plicatula (Yunnan and Gansu in China and Southeast Asia) and R. euphratica (Middle East, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe). At first glance, we could assume that Radix dgebuadzei sp. nov. represents a local lineage endemic to the Qinling Region, while this preliminary hypothesis needs to be confirmed in the future. Our novel discovery highlights that China harbors a largely endemic fauna of the Lymnaeidae and that isolated mountain ranges in East Asia could be considered evolutionary hotspots of the radicine pond snails.