An expanded phylogeny of the genus Pseudamnicola (Gastropoda; Truncatelloidea; Hydrobiidae) across the Mediterranean Basin

Abstract

The genus Pseudamnicola Paulucci, 1878, is commonly found throughout the Mediterranean region. The genus displays considerable levels of endemism, accompanied by notable systematic and taxonomic ambiguity. However, the application of molecular data has proven highly effective in clarifying taxonomy and unveiling the diversity of cryptic species within the genus. Therefore, we employed all cytochrome c oxidase subunit I sequence data available and generated new ones from Greece to infer the phylogeny of the genus throughout its Mediterranean range and estimate the divergence times as well as the ancestral area of diversification. Our phylogenetic and time-estimate analyses demonstrate that with 36 to 38 extant Pseudamnicola species and genetic divergences across species ranging from 0.5% to 11.9% on average, the genus underwent relatively recent diversification during late Miocene (6.53 Ma), and the primary speciation events occurred during Plio-Pleistocene. The Italian Peninsula and Islands and the Ionian Drainages as defined by the Freshwater Ecoregions of the World are the ancestral regions of the genus following two different dispersal routes. Our study contributes to deepening our understanding of Pseudamnicola phylogeny by using data from throughout its range for the first time. This phylogeny provides evidence and confirms previous studies that relatively recent habitat isolation, followed by founder and dispersal events, has been one of the primary reasons for the evolution of the genus Pseudamnicola in the Mediterranean basin.