Abstract
The assassin snail genus Anentome is widely distributed in South East Asia. In Thailand, the genus comprises at least six species, one of which is Anentome wykoffi, a species that may act as an intermediate host of parasitic trematodes. Recent fieldwork has shown that A. wykoffi is far more common and widespread in Thailand than has been assumed, yet the taxonomy remains poorly known. Therefore, this study explores morphological and DNA sequence (COI and 28S rRNA) variation in A. wykoffi to verify and finetune the taxonomic interpretation of this species. To this end, 12 populations of A. wykoffi were sampled in Thailand. This survey allowed us to preliminarily distinguish three putatively cryptic morphotypes. Shell shape measurements and geometric morphometric analyses revealed significant differences between these morphotypes, whereas SEM observations of the shell sculpture and radula confirmed the consistent separation of the three morphotypes. Finally, a combined phylogenetic and species delimitation analysis of COI and 28S rRNA sequence data showed that the three morphotypes represent three well-supported clades, one of which is sister group to A. cambojiensis. As such, the three morphotypes as defined by (1) the presence or absence of a carinated shoulder, (2) the number of spiral lines on the spira and (3) the pattern of the central cusps on the central radular tooth, are interpreted as three different species under the morphological and phylogenetic species concepts but also likely under the biological species concept, viz. A. wykoffi (sensu stricto), A. longispira sp. nov. and A. khelangensis sp. nov. The three cryptic species are (re)described and the implications of separation are briefly discussed. ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B39722E6-C915-4FA4-B03B-C15836B0DCAE
Funder
Human Resource Development in Science Project (Science Achievement Scholarship of Thailand, SAST)
Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences
Chiang Mai University
Subject
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Reference52 articles.
1. Description of two new genera and several new species of Mollusca, from the collection of Hugh Cuming Esq.;Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London,1855
2. A new look at the statistical model identification.;IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control,1974
3. The non-marine aquatic Mollusca of Thailand.;Archiv für Molluskenkunde,1974
4. Morphology and molecular identification of and in freshwater snails and experimental hamsters in upper northern Thailand.;The Korean Journal of Parasitology,2020
5. : freshwater snails as the second intermediate hosts in Chiang Mai, Thailand.;The Korean Journal of Parasitology,2013