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Journal Article•DOI•

A new species of springsnail ( Pyrgulopsis ) from the Owyhee River Basin, Nevada

Robert Hershler1, Hsiu-Ping Liu2•
Smithsonian Institution1, Metropolitan State University of Denver2
02 Jul 2012-Western North American Naturalist (Brigham Young University)-Vol. 72, Iss: 1, pp 21-31
TL;DR: A new springsnail species, Pyrgulopsis cybele, from the Owyhee River basin (northwestern Nevada), is described based on morphologic and molecular evidence and suggests that it evolved subsequent to emplacement of the Miocene basalt that carpets the upper South Fork Owyhea basin.
Abstract: . We describe a new springsnail species, Pyrgulopsis cybele , from the Owyhee River basin (northwestern Nevada) based on morphologic and molecular (mtCOI) evidence. Pyrgulopsis cybele differs from other members of its genus in its unique pattern of penial ornament, which consists of small glands on the distal edge of the penial lobe, base of the penial filament, and outer edge of the medial section of the penis. It is further differentiated from regional congeners by its thickened inner-shell lip and mtCOI sequences. A Bayesian analysis based on COI data placed P. cybele in a well-supported clade that contained congeners from Snake River, Great Basin, Colorado River, and California Pacific Coastal drainages; the sister taxon of this new species was not resolved. The COI divergence of P. cybele relative to its most genetically similar congener (P. glandulosa) suggests that it evolved subsequent to emplacement of the Miocene basalt that carpets the upper South Fork Owyhee basin. Pyrgulopsis cybele w...

Summary (2 min read)

Jump to: [Introduction] – [METHODS] – [SYSTEMATIC DESCRIPTION] – [HOLOTYPE, USNM 1148155] – [MOLECULAR ANALYSIS] – [DISCUSSION] – [ACKNOWLEDGMENTS] and [LITERATURE CITED]

Introduction

  • Four Pyrgulopsis species have been previously reported from the Owyhee River watershed, a remote and rugged subunit of the Snake River basin that occupies ca. 10,950 mi2 (28,360 km2; Hardy et al. 2004) in Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon (Hershler 1998, Hershler and Liu 2009).
  • They may be threatened by livestock grazing and human disturbance.
  • Se colectó P. cybele de dos manantiales cercanos entre sí a lo largo del Río South Fork Owyhee y por debajo del cruce del gaseoducto de Nevada (Nevada Pipeline Crossing).
  • The authors also evalu - ate the phylogenetic relationships of this species and discuss its conservation status.

METHODS

  • Specimens were relaxed with menthol crystals and fixed in dilute formalin for anatomical study.
  • Sample information and GenBank accession numbers for the se - quenced specimens utilized in this study are in Table 1.
  • Preliminary molecular phylogenetic analyses, which included most of the currently recognized species of Pyrgulopsis, consistently positioned the novelty described herein in a clade with 9 other congeners.
  • Three runs were conducted in MrBayes using the General Time Reversible model (GTR + G) selected by MrModeltest and the default random tree option to determine when the log-likelihood sum reached a stable value (by plotting the log-likelihood scores of sample points against generation time).

SYSTEMATIC DESCRIPTION

  • Family Hydrobiidae Troschel, 1857 Subfamily Nymphophilinae Taylor, 1966 Genus Pyrgulopsis Call and Pilsbry, 1886 Type species: Pyrgula nevadensis Stearns, 1883, by origi - nal designation.
  • Lateral tooth face rectangular, angled; central cusp pointed (Fig. 3C), sometimes bifurcate; lateral cusps 2–3 , 3–5 ; wing medium width, variably flexed, about 200% length of cutting edge; basal tongue variably developed.
  • Bursa copulatrix small, ovate, horizontal, largely overlapped by albumen gland.

HOLOTYPE, USNM 1148155

  • Found in several other springs that were surveyed during the first author’s kayak trip down the South Fork Owyhee River (from the Nevada Pipeline crossing to Three Forks) in June 2009.
  • REMARKS.—This nymphophiline snail is as - signed to Pyrgulopsis based on the superficial position of the bursa copulatrix and bursal duct on the albumen gland, presence of a single seminal receptacle, and diffuse pattern of mantle pigmentation (per Liu and Hershler 2005:296).
  • Pyrgulopsis cybele is distinguished from all other congeners by its unique pattern of penial orna ment consisting of small glandular units on the distal edge of lobe (terminal gland), base of the filament (penial gland), and outer edge of the medial section of the penis (Dg1; see Hershler and Sada 2002 for a discussion of penial variation in this genus).
  • Owyhee basin congeners by its thickened inner shell lip, and mtCOI sequences (see below).
  • The 2 populations of P. cybele differed in shell size (Fig. 2A–2D), but were closely similar in all other morphologic details.

MOLECULAR ANALYSIS

  • The Bayesian analysis (Fig. 6) delineated specimens of P. cybele as a well-supported (100% posterior probability) lineage nested within a (well-supported) clade composed of congeners from the Snake River, Great Basin, Colorado River, and California Pacific Coastal drainages.
  • Pyrgulopsis intermedia and P. robusta formed a well-supported subgroup within this clade; the relationships of P. cybele and the other species were not well resolved.
  • Pyrgulopsis cybele differed from other congeners in - cluded in this analysis by 3.0%–7.4% sequence divergence.
  • Two of the haplotypes (I, II) were shared by both populations of these species.

DISCUSSION

  • The morphologically distinctive novelty de - scribed herein does not appear to be closely related to P. fresti, which is endemic to springs along a lower reach of the Owyhee River (Hershler and Liu 2009), or to the 3 congeners that are distributed in the Owyhee and other drainage basins.
  • This finding is consistent with molecular evidence that regional Pyrgulopsis faunas typically are composites of phylogenetically diverse lineages (Liu and Hershler 2005).
  • The springs inhabited by P. cybele discharge through Miocene basalt, which extensively carpets the South Fork Owyhee River watershed (Coats 1987, Foord et al. 1987: plate 1).
  • The small streams inhabited by this snail appeared to be in good condition when visited by RH, although he did not visit their headspring sources.
  • This reach of the South Fork Owyhee River watershed also may be im - pacted by human recreational activities (e.g., boating).

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  • This project was supported (in part) by funds provided by the Center for Biological Diversity, Oregon Natural Desert Association (ONDA), and Western Watersheds Project.
  • Brent Fenty (ONDA) was instrumental in helping to secure this funding.
  • The Bureau of Land Management (Vale District) provided additional logistical support that was facilitated by Shaney Rockefeller.
  • Chris Hansen, Dave Steele, and Dan Thomas provided a large amount of assistance in the field.
  • The authors thank 2 anonymous reviewers and WNAN editor Chris Walser for their constructive comments on a draft of this manuscript.

LITERATURE CITED

  • Use of formalin-preserved samples for molecular analysis.
  • United States Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 03-4327. 48 pp. HERSHLER, R. 1998.
  • New species and records of Pyrgulopsis (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae) from the Snake River basin, southeastern Oregon: further delineation of a highly imperiled fauna.

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21
1
Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Smithsonian Institution, Box 37012, Washington, DC 20013-7012.
2
E-mail: hershlerr@si.edu
3
Department of Biology, Metropolitan State College of Denver, Denver, CO 80217.
Pyrgulopsis is a western North American
genus of hydrobiid gastropods that is distributed
from the Snake–Columbia River basin and Mis-
souri River headwaters to the lower Rio Grande
basin (Hershler et al. 2008: fig. 1). The tiny, gill-
breathing species in this genus typically live in
springs and have very small geographic ranges
(Hershler and Sada 2002). Pyrgulopsis contains
133 species (Hershler and Liu 2010, Hershler
et al. 2010), more than half of which (78 of 133,
58%) have been described since 1995. The actual
number of species in this genus is probably
considerably larger than currently recognized,
given that many putative novelties have not
been formally treated taxonomically (e.g., Frest
and Johannes 1995, Liu et al. 2003) and given
that much of the West still has not been sur-
veyed well for these tiny animals.
Four Pyrgulopsis species have been previ-
ously reported from the Owyhee River water-
shed, a remote and rugged subunit of the Snake
River basin that occupies ca. 10,950 mi
2
(28,360
km
2
; Hardy et al. 2004) in Idaho, Nevada, and
Oregon (Hershler 1998, Hershler and Liu 2009).
Three of these species (Pyrgulopsis fresti, Pyr-
gulopsis intermedia, and Pyrgulopsis owyheensis)
are distributed within a reach that extends from
slightly above Three Forks to slightly above
Owyhee Reservoir, Oregon; the fourth (Pyrgu-
lopsis sadai) is found in the East Little Owyhee
River drainage, Nevada (Fig. 1). In 2009 the
first author discovered a population of Pyrgu-
lopsis along the South Fork of the Owyhee
River near the Oregon–Nevada border >100 km
upflow from Three Forks (Fig. 1). A second,
closely proximal population was discovered in
Western North American Naturalist 72(1), © 2012, pp. 21–31
A NEW SPECIES OF SPRINGSNAIL (PYRGULOPSIS)
FROM THE OWYHEE RIVER BASIN, NEVADA
Robert Hershler
1,2
and Hsiu-Ping Liu
3
ABSTRACT.—We describe a new springsnail species, Pyrgulopsis cybele, from the Owyhee River basin (northwestern
Nevada) based on morphologic and molecular (mtCOI) evidence. Pyrgulopsis cybele differs from other members of its genus
in its unique pattern of penial ornament, which consists of small glands on the distal edge of the penial lobe, base of the penial
filament, and outer edge of the medial section of the penis. It is further differentiated from regional congeners by its
thickened inner-shell lip and mtCOI sequences. A Bayesian analysis based on COI data placed P. c y b e l e in a well-supported
clade that contained congeners from Snake River, Great Basin, Colorado River, and California Pacific Coastal drainages; the
sister taxon of this new species was not resolved. The COI divergence of P. c y b e l e relative to its most genetically similar con-
gener (P. g l a n d u l o s a ) suggests that it evolved subsequent to emplacement of the Miocene basalt that carpets the upper
South Fork Owyhee basin. Pyrgulopsis cybele was collected from 2 closely proximal springs along the South Fork Owyhee
River below the Nevada Pipeline Crossing. Although these populations are in a remote wilderness study area, they may be
threatened by livestock grazing and human disturbance.
RESUMEN.—Describimos una nueva especie de caracol de manantial, Pyrgulopsis cybele, de la cuenca del Río Owyhee
(al noroeste de Nevada), con base en evidencias morfológicas y moleculares (mtCOI). Pyrgulopsis cybele difiere de otros
miembros de su género debido a su ornamentación única en el pene, la cual consiste de pequeñas glándulas en el extremo
distal del lóbulo, en la base del filamento y en el extremo exterior de la sección media del pene. Se distingue aún más de
sus congéneres regionales debido a que el labio interno de la concha está engrosado y a las secuencias del gen mtCOI.
Un análisis Bayesiano basado en datos del COI (citocromo c oxidasa subunidad I) colocó a P. c y b e l e en un clado bien apoyado
que incluyó a congéneres del Río Snake, de la Gran Cuenca, del Río Colorado y de algunos ríos de la costa del Pacífico
en California; no se resolvió el taxón hermano de esta nueva especie. La divergencia en el COI de P. c y b e l e con respecto a su
congénere genéticamente más similar (P. g l a n d u l o s a ) sugiere que evolucionó posteriormente al asentamiento de basalto
del Mioceno que cubre la parte alta de la cuenca South Fork Owyhee. Se colectó P. c y b e l e de dos manantiales cercanos
entre sí a lo largo del Río South Fork Owyhee y por debajo del cruce del gaseoducto de Nevada (Nevada Pipeline Crossing).
A pesar de que estas poblaciones se encuentran en un área de estudio silvestre y remota, podrían estar siendo amenazadas
por la ganadería y por perturbaciones humanas.
2010. Here we describe these populations as a
new species of Pyrgulopsis based on morpho-
logical and molecular evidence. We also evalu -
ate the phylogenetic relationships of this species
and discuss its conservation status.
M
ETHODS
Specimens were relaxed with menthol crys-
tals and fixed in dilute formalin for anatomical
study. Snails used for mtDNA sequencing were
preserved in 90% ethanol in the field. Coordi-
nates for the collecting localities were obtained
in the field using a Garmin Oregon 450t GPS
unit (UTM NAD 83). Types for the new species
and other voucher material from this study were
deposited in the Smithsonian Institution’s Na -
tional Museum of Natural History (USNM)
collection.
Five females and 5 males (all adults) from
the type locality of the new species were dis-
sected; large series of males from both locali-
ties were examined to assess variation in penial
glandular ornament. Variation in the number of
cusps on the radular teeth was assessed using
the method of Hershler et al. (2007). Other meth -
ods of morphological study and descriptive
terminology are those used in recent taxonomic
22 WESTERN NORTH AMERICAN NATURALIST [Volume 72
Fig. 1. Map showing the distribution of Pyrgulopsis species in the Owyhee River basin. The arrow points to the area
inhabited by Pyrgulopsis cybele.
investigations of Pyrgulopsis (Hershler 1998,
Hershler et al. 2003a). Basic statistics were com-
piled for the shell data using Systat for Windows
11.00.01 (SSI 2004).
Genomic DNA was extracted from entire
snails using a CTAB protocol (Bucklin 1992). A
658 bp segment of cytochrome c oxidase sub-
unit I (COI) corresponding to “Folmer’s frag-
ment” (Folmer et al. 1994) was amplified and se -
quenced with primers LCO1490 and HCOI2198
following protocols of Liu et al. (2003). Se -
quences were determined for both strands and
then edited and aligned using Sequencherä
version 4.8. We sequenced 3–6 specimens from
the 2 samples of the new species described
herein to assess variation. Sample information
and GenBank accession numbers for the se -
quenced specimens utilized in this study are in
Table 1. The new sequences reported herein
were deposited in GenBank under accession
numbers JN255350–JN255358 (Table 1).
Sequence divergences (uncorrected p dis-
tances) were calculated using MEGA5.05 (Ta -
mura et al. 2011). Preliminary molecular phy-
logenetic analyses, which included most of the
currently recognized species of Pyrgulopsis,
consistently positioned the novelty described
herein in a clade with 9 other congeners. The
final analysis included all of these taxa and 2
congeners that belong to a different clade from
the northern Lahontan basin; one of these con -
geners (Pyrgulopsis gibba) was used as the root.
Phylogenetic relationships were inferred using
Bayesian inference in MrBayes 3.12 (Ronquist
and Huel senbeck 2003). MrModeltest (Nylan-
der 2004) selected the general time reversible
model (GTR + G), which best fit the data under
the Akaike information criterion. In the initial
Baye sian analysis, the burn-in was set at 10%
(10,000 generations) of the chain length (100,000
generations). Three runs were conducted in
MrBayes using the General Time Reversible
model (GTR + G) selected by MrModeltest and
the default random tree option to determine
when the log-likelihood sum reached a stable
value (by plotting the log-likelihood scores of
sample points against generation time). The ln
likelihoods started around –7550 and quickly
converged upon a stable value of about –1700
after 8000 generations. For the final run, Me -
tropolis-coupled Markov chain Monte Carlo
simulations were performed with 4 chains for
1,000,000 generations, and Markov chains were
sampled at intervals of 10 generations to obtain
100,000 sample points. The sampled trees with
branch lengths were used to generate a 50%
majority-rule consensus tree with the first 5000
trees (equal to 50,000 generations) removed to en -
sure that the chain sampled a stationary portion.
S
YSTEMATIC DESCRIPTION
Family Hydrobiidae Troschel, 1857
Subfamily Nymphophilinae Taylor, 1966
Genus Pyrgulopsis Call and Pilsbry, 1886
Type species: Pyrgula nevadensis Stearns, 1883, by origi -
nal designation.
Diagnosis: Liu and Hershler (2005:296).
Pyrgulopsis cybele, new species
T
YPES.—Holotype, USNM 1148155, un -
named spring brook on east side of South Fork
Owyhee River, Elko County, Nevada, N
4648124, E 524954, Zone 11, 1439 m elevation,
coll. RH and Chris Hansen, 1 November 2010.
Paratypes (from same lot), USNM 1157696
(ca. 400 specimens).
E
TYMOLOGY.—This species is named after
Cybele, the Roman goddess of nature.
Referred material: NEVADA. Elko County:
USNM 1128557 (ca. 150 specimens), unnamed
spring brook on east side of South Fork Owyhee
River, ca. 100 m north of the above, N 4645315,
E 525593, Zone 11, 1463 m elevation, coll. RH,
2 June 2009.
D
IAGNOSIS.—A small species of Pyrgulopsis
having a trochoid to ovate-conic shell with
highly convex whorls and a thickened inner
apertural lip. Penis having a medium-sized lobe
and medium-length filament; ornament consist-
ing of penial gland, Dg1, and terminal gland.
D
ESCRIPTION.—Shell trochoid to ovate-conic
(Fig. 2A–D); height 1.6–2.8 mm; whorls 3.25–
4.00. Periostracum tan. Protoconch near plani -
spiral, about 1.4 whorls, diameter about 420 μm,
initial portion weakly wrinkled (Fig. 2E, 2F).
Teleoconch whorls highly convex, shouldered,
sutures impressed, last whorl sometimes slightly
loosened behind aperture; smooth apart from
collabral growth lines. Aperture large, ovate,
angled above. Inner lip complete, usually slightly
disjunct, rarely adnate, thickened internally,
sometimes markedly so; columellar shelf usually
absent, narrow to moderate width when present;
outer lip usually thin, sometimes thickened
adapically, prosocline. Umbilicus usually small,
narrow, rarely absent. Shell measurements and
2012] NEW SPRINGSNAIL FROM NEVADA 23
24 WESTERN NORTH AMERICAN NATURALIST [Volume 72
TABLE 1. Specimen codes, localities, and GenBank accession numbers for Pyrgulopsis species that were included in
the molecular phylogenetic analysis.
Species Specimen code Locality Accession number
cybele P237A-F Spring brook entering north side of South Fork JN255353–JN255358
Owyhee River, Elko Co., NV
P252A-C Spring brook entering north side of South Fork JN255350–JN255352
Owyhee River, Elko Co., NV
gibba P134B, D Springs west of Fee Reservoir, Surprise Valley, AY197603
a
, AY426359
b
Lassen Co., CA
glandulosa Nelson Place spring, Verde River basin, AY627959
a
Yavapai Co., AZ
imperialis P140A, C Spring, Thacker Pass, Kings River Valley, AY379450
c
, AY426350
b
Humboldt Co., NV
intermedia P1B, E Crooked Creek, Highway 95 crossing, Owyhee AY379442
c
, AY426351
b
River basin, Malheur Co., OR
P2B, C Crooked Creek at Crooked Creek State Wayside AY426352
b
, AY426353
b
(19/v/2000), Owyhee River basin, Malheur
Co., OR
P4B, C Skylight Spring, Barren Valley, Malheur Co., OR AY379444
c
, AY379445
c
IP60A-D Crooked Creek at Crooked Creek State Wayside FJ172460
d
, FJ172461
d
,
(16/vii/2006), Owyhee River basin, Malheur FJ172462
d
, FJ172463
d
Co., OR
IP67A, C Spring tributary to Birch Creek, Owyhee River FJ172468
d
, FJ172469
d
basin, Malheur Co., OR
P217A Spring along Owyhee River, above Long Sweet- FJ172488
d
water Rapids, Owyhee River basin, Malheur
Co., OR
P222A, C Spring on hillside, Jackson Hole, Owyhee River FJ172496
d
, FJ172497
d
basin, Malheur Co., OR
P223A, B Mouth of Rinehart Creek, Owyhee River basin, FJ172498
d
, FJ172499
d
Malheur Co., OR
P224C Spring west of Two Mile Spring, Owyhee River FJ172500
d
basin, Malheur Co., OR
militaris P147A, C Spring west of Soldier Meadow Ranch, Black AY197596
a
, AY426362
b
Rock Desert, Humboldt Co., NV
montezumensis Montezuma Well, Verde River basin, Yavapai AY485552
e
Co., AZ
morrisoni Pmor5 Page Springs, Verde River basin, Yavapai Co., AZ AY485551
e
P150A Spring, Bubbling Pond Hatchery, Verde River DQ364007
f
basin, Yavapai Co., AZ
robusta D33C, D XL Spring, Abert Lake basin, Lake Co., OR AY426348
b
, AY426349
b
P3B, D Hughet Spring, Harney basin, Harney Co., OR AY379430
c
, AY379431
c
P5B, C South Fork Malheur Reservoir, Malheur Cave AY379432
c
, AY379433
c
Road crossing, Malheur River basin,
Harney Co., OR
P179A, B Snake River, Glenns Ferry, Snake River basin, AY379426
c
, AY379427
c
Elmore Co., ID
simplex Spring near Strawberry, Verde River basin, AY627949
g
Yavapai Co., AZ
sola Brown Springs, Verde River basin, Yavapai AY627957
g
Co., AZ
stearnsiana Stream in Little Sycamore Canyon, southern GQ275094
h
California coastal drainage, Ventura Co., CA
a
Hershler et al. 2003b
b
Hershler and Liu 2004b
c
Hershler and Liu 2004a
d
Hershler and Liu 2009
e
Hurt 2004
f
Hershler and Liu 2008
g
Liu and Hershler 2005
h
Hershler and Liu 2010
2012] NEW SPRINGSNAIL FROM NEVADA 25
Fig. 2. Scanning electron micrographs of shells and opercula of Pyrgulopsis cybele: A, holotype, USNM 1148155; B,
shell, USNM 1157696; C and D, shells, USNM 1128557; E, shell apex, USNM 1157696; F, close-up showing proto-
conch sculpture, USNM 1157696; G, operculum, outer side, USNM 1157696; H, operculum, inner side, USNM
1157696. Scale bars: A–D = 1.0 mm; E, F = 100 μm; G, H = 200 μm.
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Rissooidean snails from the Pit River basin, California

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Robert Hershler, Terrence J. Frest, Hsiu-Ping Liu, Edward J. Johannes
01 Jan 2003-Veliger
TL;DR: A recent field survey of the Pit River basin in northeastern California resulted in the discovery of numerous undescribed populations of aquatic rissooidean snails which are treated and it is suggested that the new species of Colligyrus is sister to an undescribes congener from the Klamath basin.
Abstract: A recent field survey of the Pit River basin in northeastern California resulted in the discovery of numerous undescribed populations of aquatic rissooidean snails which are treated in this paper. Based on morphological study and analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences we describe a new species of the genus Colligyrus (family Amnicolidae) and four new species of the genus Pyrgulopsis (Hydrobiidae). Phylogenetic analysis of sequence data suggests that the new species of Colligyrus is sister to an undescribed congener from the Klamath basin. The four new species of Pyrgulopsis do not form a monophyletic group but instead are variously related to other regional congeners. We also describe Pit River basin populations of two species of Pyrgulopsis which were previously considered to be endemic to the northwestern Great Basin (P. eremica) and Klamath basin (P. archimedis).

20 citations

Threats to and sustainability of ecosystems for freshwater mollusks.

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Mehlhop P, Caryn C. Vaughn
01 May 1994
TL;DR: In North America, two groups of freshwater molluscs are most threatened by human activities and require ecosystem approaches to their sustainability as discussed by the authors, and conservation through threat assessment and abatement is recommended.
Abstract: In North America, two groups of freshwater molluscs are most threatened by human activities and require ecosystem approaches to their sustainability. Prosobranch snails in the family Hydrobiidae are restricted to small spring systems and are limited by their relative immobility, dependence on highly oxygenated waters and use of gills. Many are narrow endemics of localized springs, which are altered by ground water depletion and surface water diversion and by changes in water quality such as nutrification and chemical pollution from non-point sources. Spring alteration can resuH in direct species extirpation. Conservation through threat assessment and abatement is recommended. Most rare and declining native mussels are Unionidae in riverine ecosystems. Their relative immobility, long lifespan, filter-feeding habits, and parasitic larval stage make them highly vulnerable to habitat disturbance. The major cause of their declines has been the fragmentation of river ecosystems through impoundments, channelization and other activities such as timber harvesting, which alter flow and sedimentation patterns. Fragmentation acts to increase the distance between mussel subpopulations and may have major consequences of the metapopulation structure of species, particularly rare species and those with narrow fish host requirements. As some populations are eliminated and dispersal distances are increased, demographic and genetic constraints will diminish the ability of local populations to respond to natural environmental disturbance as well as human-induced changes. Sustainable ecosystem management in river systems will require devising strategies to conserve mussel metapopulations.

15 citations

Journal Article•DOI•
Two new, possibly threatened species of Pyrgulopsis (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae) from southwestern California

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Robert Hershler1, Hsiu-Ping Liu2•
Smithsonian Institution1, Metropolitan State University of Denver2
25 Jan 2010-Zootaxa
TL;DR: Two new species of Pyrgulopsis from southwestern California are described based on morphologic and molecular evidence and may be threatened by the proposed development of a master-planned community near Santa Clarita Valley.
Abstract: Here we describe (for conservation purposes) two new species of Pyrgulopsis from southwestern California based on morphologic and molecular (mtCOI) evidence. Pyrgulopsis castaicensis n. sp. is endemic to a single spring in the upper portion of the Santa Clara River basin and may be threatened by the proposed development of a master-planned community (Newhall Ranch) near Santa Clarita Valley. This snail differs from two morphologically similar regional congeners (P. micrococcus [Pilsbry in Stearns, 1893], P. stearnsiana [Pilsbry, 1899]) by its larger terminal gland, simple oviduct coil and mtCOI sequences (6.1–9.3% for P. micrococcus, 3.5–8.2% for P. stearnsiana). Pyrgulopsis milleri n. sp. is distributed in spring-fed waters along a short reach of upper Tule River drainage and threatened by surface water diversion and its close proximity to a major road (CA 190). Pyrgulopsis milleri differs from closely similar and geographically proximal P. stearnsiana in its broader central cusps on the central radular teeth, shorter pallial section of the albumen gland, greater overlap of the bursa copulatrix by the albumen gland, simple anterior vas deferens, usual absence of a terminal gland and mtCOI sequences (2.8–8.4%).

11 citations

Journal Article•DOI•
New species and records of Pyrgulopsis (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae) from the Snake River basin, southeastern Oregon: further delineation of a highly imperiled fauna

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Robert Hershler, Hsiu-Ping Liu
09 Feb 2009-Zootaxa
TL;DR: This study provides critical information for the conservation of springsnails in southeastern Oregon and underscores the need for additional field surveys in the region.
Abstract: Here we describe two new species from southeastern Oregon based on morphologic and molecular (mtCOI) evidence. Pyrgulopsis fresti n. sp., commonly known as the “Owyhee hot springsnail” and long considered to be distinct and critically imperiled, lives in thermal springs along a short reach of the Owyhee River above Three Forks. This snail differs from other regional species in its squat shell; penial ornament consisting of a large, disc-shaped ventral gland; absence of a seminal receptacle; and mtCOI sequences. Pyrgulopsis owyheensis n. sp. ranges among five disjunct groups of springs in the Owyhee and Malheur river drainages and is occasionally sympatric with P. fresti. This snail is closely similar to another regional congener, P. intermedia (Tryon, 1865), but is smaller and further differentiated by its typically disjunct inner shell lip, longer and narrower penial filament, more distally positioned ventral gland of penis, and mtCOI sequences. The type locality (Owyhee Spring) population of P. owyheensis is genetically differentiated from the other geographical subunits of this species (1.5–1.8% sequence divergence) and should perhaps be managed as a separate conservation unit. New records are provided for P. intermedia which extends the range of this conservation priority species into the lower Owyhee River basin. We also show that the “Malheur springsnail,” which has been listed in various conservation-related publications and documents, is the same as P. intermedia. This study provides critical information for the conservation of springsnails in southeastern Oregon and underscores the need for additional field surveys in the region.

10 citations

"A new species of springsnail ( Pyrg..." refers background in this paper

  • ...The morphologically distinctive novelty de - scribed herein does not appear to be closely related to P. fresti, which is endemic to springs along a lower reach of the Owyhee River (Hershler and Liu 2009), or to the 3 congeners that are distributed in the Owyhee and other drainage basins....

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  • ...Four Pyrgulopsis species have been previously reported from the Owyhee River watershed, a remote and rugged subunit of the Snake River basin that occupies ca. 10,950 mi2 (28,360 km2; Hardy et al. 2004) in Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon (Hershler 1998, Hershler and Liu 2009)....

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Journal Article•DOI•
Transfer of Cochliopa texana to Pyrgulopsis (Hydrobiidae) and description of a third congener from the lower Pecos River basin

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Robert Hershler1, Hsiu-Ping Liu2, Brian K. Lang3•
Smithsonian Institution1, Metropolitan State University of Denver2, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish3
01 Aug 2010-Journal of Molluscan Studies
TL;DR: A Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of the COI and NDI dataset indicated that these two snails are not closely related and that P. ignota occupies a basal position relative to other regional congeners.
Abstract: The Phantom Cave snail (Cochliopa texana), a little-studied rissooidean gastropod that is locally endemic within the lower Pecos River basin (Texas) and currently a candidate for addition to the Federal list of threatened and endangered species, is redescribed and transferred to the hydrobiid genus Pyrgulopsis, based on shell and anatomical characters. Specimens from the type locality (Phantom Lake Spring) and San Solomon Spring are larger than those from East Sandia Spring and also differ somewhat in shell shape and shape of the central cusps of the lateral radular teeth. However genetic (mtCOI, NDI) variation within and among these geographically proximal (6– 13 km) populations was slight, providing no basis for the recognition of distinct conservation units of this imperiled species. We also describe Pyrgulopsis ignota n. sp., which was recently discovered in a different part of the lower Pecos River basin and initially confused with the Phantom Cave snail. These two species differ in shell shape, operculum morphology, and form and glandular ornament of the penis. They are also strongly differentiated genetically from each other and from (13) other regional congeners ( pairwise sequence divergence .6.3% for both genes). A Bayesian phylogenetic analysis of the COI and NDI dataset indicated that these two snails are not closely related and that P. ignota occupies a basal position relative to other regional congeners.

9 citations

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Frequently Asked Questions (1)
Q1. What contributions have the authors mentioned in the paper "A new species of springsnail (pyrgulopsis) from the owyhee river basin, nevada" ?

—We describe a new springsnail species, Pyrgulopsis cybele, from the Owyhee River basin ( northwestern Nevada ) based on morphologic and molecular ( mtCOI ) evidence. Although these populations are in a remote wilderness study area, they may be threatened by livestock grazing and human disturbance. It is further differentiated from regional congeners by its thickened inner-shell lip and mtCOI sequences. The COI divergence of P. cybele relative to its most genetically similar congener ( P. glandulosa ) suggests that it evolved subsequent to emplacement of the Miocene basalt that carpets the upper South Fork Owyhee basin.