Microsatellite evidence of invasion and rapid spread of divergent New Zealand mudsnail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) clones in the Snake River basin, Idaho, USA

We used microsatellites to assess genetic diversity and spatial structuring of the invasive apomictic New Zealand mudsnail (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) in the initial focal area of its recent North American invasion, a portion of the upper Snake River basin (Idaho) that is segmented by a series of hydropower dams. Thirty-four samples (812 total snails) from a 368 km reach of this drainage were genotyped for six loci. Sixty-five distinct clones were detected and grouped into four divergent clusters based on chord distances. Genetic structuring of populations was generally low. Our results indicate that the founding population(s) of this invasion was composed of a small number of putative clonal lineages which spread rapidly within this fragmented watershed owing to the enhanced dispersal ability of these parthenogens. The substantial genetic variation documented in this study suggests that caution should be used in the application of biological control measures for this pest species.     

Taxonomic revision of the Pyrgulopsis gilae (Caenogastropoda,Hydrobiidae) species complex,with descriptions of two new species from the Gila River basin,New Mexico

We describe two new species of springsnails (genus Pyrgulopsis) for populations from the middle Fork and upper East Fork of the Gila River Basin (New Mexico) that had been previously identified as P. gilae. We also restrict P. gilae to its originally circumscribed geographic range which consists of a short reach of the East Fork Gila River and a single spring along the Gila River (below the East Fork confluence). These three species form genetically distinct lineages that differ from each other by 3.9–6.3% for mtCOI and 3.7–8.7% for mtNDI (the latter data were newly obtained for this study), and are diagnosable by shell and penial characters. Collectively the three species form a strongly supported clade that is distinguished from other congeners by the unique presence of two glandular strips on the dorsal surface of the penial filament. These findings suggest that the conservation status of P. gilae, which was recently removed from the list of candidates for listing as endangered or threatened by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, should be revisited and that the two new species may also merit protective measures given their narrow geographic ranges.