The Austrian endemic land snail species (formerly ) occurs in the Northeastern Calcareous Alps at high elevations. Two morphologically highly similar subspecies   and have been described. First analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear marker sequences indicated a high genetic divergence between them. In the present study, we aimed to assess gene flow between the two subspecies which should help to re-evaluate their taxonomic status. Sequence data and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers of 255 specimens covering the whole distribution range were analyzed. A clear geographic separation was found within the potential contact zone, the Haller Mauern mountain range. Samples of all western sites were part of the clade representing and almost all samples from the eastern sites clustered with . However, within two sampling sites of the eastern Haller Mauern, a few individuals possessed a sequence matching the clade whereas at the locus they were heterozygous possessing the alleles of both taxa. Contrary to the results indicating historical and/or ongoing hybridization, AFLP analyses of 202 individuals confirmed a clear separation of the two taxa congruent with the mitochondrial data. Although they occur on the same mountain range without any physical barrier, no indication of ongoing gene flow between the two taxa was found. Thus, we conclude that the two taxa are separate species and .

The land snail genus Gittenberger, 1983 is distributed in arid limestone areas from western Turkey to north-western Iran. It comprises eight species, which display high variation in shell size and morphology. The cylindrical shells are 5-12 mm in height and the last shell whorls bear several inner lamellae and plicae. Two taxa differ in their chirality having sinistral shells, while all the others are dextrals such as the vast majority of orculids. The aim of this study was to establish a molecular genetic phylogeny of and to test whether it conforms to the current morphology-based classification. Furthermore, we were interested in the phylogenetic position of the two sinistral forms in order to assess whether one or two reversals happened in the evolution of the genus. Nine out of ten species, including all four subspecies of and three of six subspecies of , were investigated. A section of the mitochondrial gene was analyzed in 54 specimens of and from a subsample, partial sequences of the mitochondrial genes for the and the , and a section of the nuclear histone gene cluster were obtained. The phylogenetic trees based on the mitochondrial sequences feature high support values for most nodes, and the species appear well differentiated from each other. The two chiral forms evolved independently and are not sister lineages. However, some groupings disagree with the present morphology-based classification and taxonomical conclusions are drawn. is polyphyletic in the molecular genetic trees; therefore, three of its subspecies are elevated to species level: Hausdorf, 1996 comb. nov., Hausdorf, 1996 comb. nov., and Neubert, 1993 comb. nov. Furthermore, is grouped within in the mitochondrial and nuclear trees and consequently treated as a subspecies of the latter ( Hausdorf, 1996 comb. nov.). , whose shell morphology is indistinguishable from that of the neighboring , but who differs in its genital anatomy, was confirmed to represent a distinct lineage. The phylogenies produced by the mitochondrial and nuclear data sets are to some extent conflicting. The patterns differ concerning the grouping of some specimens, suggesting at least two independent hybridization events involving , and . The results exemplify the importance of integrating both mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data in order to complement morphology-based taxonomy, and they provide further evidence for hybridization across distantly related lineages in land snails.

The bat family Nycteridae contains only the genus , which comprises 13 currently recognized species from Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, one species from Madagascar, and two species restricted to Malaysia and Indonesia in South-East Asia. We investigated genetic variation, clade membership, and phylogenetic relationships in Nycteridae with broad sampling across Africa for most clades. We sequenced mitochondrial cytochrome () and four independent nuclear introns (2,166 bp) from 253 individuals. Although our samples did not include all recognized species, we recovered at least 16 deeply divergent monophyletic lineages using independent mitochondrial and multilocus nuclear datasets in both gene tree and species tree analyses. Mean pairwise uncorrected genetic distances among species-ranked clades (17% for and 4% for concatenated introns) suggest high levels of phylogenetic diversity in Nycteridae. We found a large number of designated clades whose members are distributed wholly or partly in East Africa (10 of 16 clades), indicating that diversity has been historically underestimated and raising the possibility that additional unsampled and/or undescribed species occur in more poorly sampled Central and West Africa. Well-resolved mitochondrial, concatenated nuclear, and species trees strongly supported African ancestry for SE Asian species. Species tree analyses strongly support two deeply diverged subclades that have not previously been recognized, and these clades may warrant recognition as subgenera. Our analyses also strongly support four traditionally recognized species groups of . Mitonuclear discordance regarding geographic population structure in appears to result from male-biased dispersal in this species. Our analyses, almost wholly based on museum voucher specimens, serve to identify species-rank clades that can be tested with independent datasets, such as morphology, vocalizations, distributions, and ectoparasites. Our analyses highlight the need for a comprehensive revision of Nycteridae.

This study demonstrates for the first time the presence of marine-associated mites in the Andaman Sea and Strait of Malacca and reveals a relatively high diversity of these taxa with six species from two different families: Selenoribatidae and Fortuyniidae. , a new genus of Selenoribatidae, is described from Thailand and Malaysia, with two new species, n. sp. and n. sp. The genus is characterized by the unique combination of following characters: lacking lamellar ridges, incomplete dorsosejugal suture, fourteen pairs of notogastral setae, and presence of epimeral foveae. A phylogenetic reconstruction based on ribosomal RNA sequences clearly confirms the distinctness of the new genus and places it close to the genus . The lack of molecular genetic data of possible relatives impedes a clear assessment, and hence, we emphasize the need for further combined approaches using morphological and molecular genetic sequence data. All species show wide distribution areas within this geographic region suggesting that these taxa are good dispersers despite their minute size and wingless body. Molecular genetic data demonstrate recent gene flow between far distant populations of n. sp. from the coasts of Thailand and two islands of Malaysia and hence confirm this assumption. The seasonally changing surface currents within this geographic area may favor hydrochorous dispersal and hence genetic exchange. Nevertheless, morphometric data show a slight trend to morphological divergence among the studied populations, whereas this variation is suggested to be a result of genetic drift but also of habitat differences in one population of .

Species diversity is generally higher in the tropics compared to the temperate zones. The phenomenon that one species of an almost exclusively tropical living genus was able to adapt successfully to the cold northern regions is rather rare. However, the oribatid mite represents such a species and is in the focus of this study. While 180 species are confined to the tropics and subtropics, only five species are known to occur in temperate climates and represents the only species with a wider distribution in this climatic region. This species is distributed in Central and Southern Europe and was now recorded for the first time in Austria. A morphological and molecular genetic investigation of specimens from Austria, Poland and Croatia confirmed this distribution pattern and revealed specific geographic clades and haplotypes for each population and hence indicate low gene flow between populations. A further molecular genetic analysis of the gene sequence of confirmed its phylogenetic position within Carabodoidea. Based on record information, this species is associated with trees or tree habitats and seems to be rather a generalist than a specialist for a specific substrate (e.g., tree species) or food source.

A putative new limpet species (Patellogastropoda) from the Sea of Japan is revealed by molecular genetic analyses using the mitochondrial markers rRNA and subunit I (), as well as the DNA marker rRNA. Our data indicate that the limpet, collected in the Peter the Great Bay (Russian Federation), is not, as its morphology suggests, the Japanese species Sasaki and Okutani, 1994, and might also hint towards another putative species complex in the Sea of Japan. The different currents between the Far East Asian mainland (cold, subpolar jet running southwards) and the Japanese archipelago (warm, subtropical jet running northwards) are likely to act as a barrier that has a substantial influence on species distribution in these waters. Accordingly, our results indicate that it is about time for a revision of patellogastropod species with a reported distribution in Japanese and Far Eastern Russian waters by an integrative approach using molecular genetic and morphological characters. The species investigated herein is referred to as cf. until it is morphologically re-examined and compared with primary type specimens of known species.

Within Gastropoda, limpets (Patellogastropoda) are considered the most basal branching taxon and its representatives are thus crucial for research into evolutionary questions. Here, we describe the development of the neuromuscular system in cf. . In trochophore larvae, first serotonin-like immunoreactivity (lir) appears in the apical organ and in the prototroch nerve ring. The arrangement and number of serotonin-lir cells in the apical organ (three flask-shaped, two round cells) are strikingly similar to those in putatively derived gastropods. First, FMRFamide-lir appears in veliger larvae in the of the future adult nervous system including the cerebral and pedal ganglia. As in other gastropods, the larvae of this limpet show one main and one accessory retractor as well as a pedal retractor and a prototroch muscle ring. Of these, only the pedal retractor persists until after metamorphosis and is part of the adult shell musculature. We found a hitherto undescribed, paired muscle that inserts at the base of the foot and runs towards the base of the tentacles. An apical organ with flask-shaped cells, one main and one accessory retractor muscle is commonly found among gastropod larvae and thus might have been part of the last common ancestor.

Population histories depend on the interplay between exogeneous and endogeneous factors. In marine species, phylogeographic and demographic patterns are often shaped by sea level fluctuations, water currents and dispersal ability. Using mitochondrial control region sequences ( = 120), we infer phylogeographic structure and historic population size changes of a common littoral fish species, the black-faced blenny (Perciformes, Blennioidei, Tripterygiidae) from the north-eastern Adriatic Sea. We find that Adriatic are differentiated from conspecific populations in the remaining Mediterranean, but display little phylogeographic structure within the Adriatic basin. The pattern is consistent with passive dispersal of planktonic larvae along cyclonic currents within the Adriatic Sea, but limited active dispersal of adults. Demographic reconstructions are consistent with recent population expansion, probably triggered by rising sea levels after the last glacial maximum (LGM). Placing the onset of population growth between the LGM and the warming of surface waters (18 000-13 000 years BP) and employing a novel expansion dating approach, we inferred a substitution rate of 2.61-3.61% per site per MY. Our study is one of only few existing investigations of the genetic structure of animals within the Adriatic basin and is the first to provide an estimate for mitochondrial control region substitution rates in blennioid fishes.

The group is part of the taxonomically complex group of Neotropical cichlid fishes of the tribe Heroini. Many species groups and unplaced species of heroines are still left without a generic name following the revision of the genus . We describe here the group as a new genus, , and provide evidence for its monophyly based on phylogenetic analyses of morphological and mtDNA characters. is morphologically characterized by the lowest values in meristic characters among heroines and by three apomorphic characters in coloration pattern. In addition to the three described species of , our results of species delimitation based on a combination of tree- and character-based approaches identify seven putatively new species of . Several coding schemes of morphological characters are used to recover the intrageneric relationships within the genus, resulting in very similar topologies. Discovery of additional species within the genus is expected once material from the whole distribution area is studied.