Multiple Introductions of the Pestiferous Land Snail Theba pisana (Müller, 1774) (Gastropoda: Helicidae) in Southern California
Open Access
- 21 July 2021
- Vol. 12 (8), 662
- https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12080662
Abstract
The terrestrial land snail Theba pisana is circum-Mediterranean in native range and widely introduced and pestiferous in regions around the world. In California, USA, T. pisana has been recorded intermittently since 1914, but its source population(s) are unknown, and no morphological or molecular analyses within or between California populations have been published. Therefore, we compared molecular data (CO1, 16S, ITS2) and internal morphology (jaw, radula, reproductive system) in T. pisana collected from Los Angeles and San Diego counties in 2019–2020. DNA barcode (CO1 mtDNA) analysis revealed that T. pisana from Los Angeles County was most similar to T. pisana from the Mediterranean island of Malta, and northern San Diego County-collected specimens were most similar to T. pisana from Morocco. Morphology of the jaw and mucous glands also differed between Los Angeles and San Diego populations, but it is unclear if traits are lineage-specific or artifacts of ontogeny. Several pathways of introduction into Southern California are possible for this species, but evidence for intentional vs. accidental introduction of present populations is lacking. Subsequent investigation(s) could use the data generated herein to assess the provenance of T. pisana elsewhere in California and/or worldwide and inform analyses of reproductive biology and systematics in this widespread species.Keywords
This publication has 66 references indexed in Scilit:
- DNA barcodes and phylogenetic affinities of the terrestrial slugs Arion gilvus and A. ponsi (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Arionidae)ZooKeys, 2013
- Redesign of PCR primers for mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I for marine invertebrates and application in all‐taxa biotic surveysMolecular Ecology Resources, 2013
- Irish Cepaea nemoralis Land Snails Have a Cryptic Franco-Iberian Origin That Is Most Easily Explained by the Movements of Mesolithic HumansPLOS ONE, 2013
- Exploring Species Level Taxonomy and Species Delimitation Methods in the Facultatively Self-Fertilizing Land Snail Genus Rumina (Gastropoda: Pulmonata)PLOS ONE, 2013
- Tracing the Invasion of the Mediterranean Land Snail Cornu aspersum aspersum Becoming an Agricultural and Garden Pest in Areas Recently IntroducedPLOS ONE, 2012
- Geneious Basic: An integrated and extendable desktop software platform for the organization and analysis of sequence dataBioinformatics, 2012
- Phylogeography of an invasive land snail: natural range expansion versus anthropogenic dispersal in Theba pisana pisanaBiological Invasions, 2012
- Molecular identification of the exotic slug Arion subfuscus sensu stricto (Gastropoda: Pulmonata) in California, with comments on the source location of introduced populationsBiological Invasions, 2010
- Italians of Los Angeles: An Historical OverviewSouthern California Quarterly, 2003
- Evolution within the gastropod mollscs; using the ribosomal RNA gene-cluster as an indicator of phyolgenetic relationshipsJournal of Molluscan Studies, 2000