New genetic data reveals a new species of Zospeum in Bosnia (Gastropoda, Ellobioidea, Carychiinae)

Abstract

Recent integrative investigations of the terrestrial ellobiid genus, Zospeum, have revealed significant findings concerning its Alpine-Dinaric evolution and taxonomy. Due to the expected discrepancy between the useful, but limited, 1970s’ classification system based on shell data and the results of recent genetic analyses in the latest investigation, a revision of the entire radiation was undertaken, and a new classification system was devised by the present authors in an earlier paper. Concurrent to this work, molecular sequences from two Austrian caves were published independently of our revision by another research group. By incorporating these genetic data within our phylogenetic framework here, we show that the Austrian individuals are genetically most similar to Zospeum amoenum and consequently, classify them within that species. We additionally reveal two new genetic lineages from the largely under-sampled southern extension of Zospeum’s known distributional range. The first lineage, deriving from the region of Dubrovnik, Croatia, is a potential candidate for genetically clarifying Zospeum troglobalcanicum. The second lineage derives from the municipality of Tomislavgrad, Bosnia-Herzegovina and is herein, described a new species: Zospeum simplex Inäbnit, Jochum & Neubert, sp. nov.