Published June 11, 2018 | Version v1
Journal article Open

Rediscovery of the endemic gastropod Dianella schlickumi (Gastropoda, Hydrobiidae) and its discrimination from Dianella thiesseana: environmental correlates and implications for their conservation

  • 1. Department of Zoology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece|Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany
  • 2. Department of Ecology and Systematics, Faculty of Biology, School of Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, , Athens, Greece
  • 3. Department of Biology, University of Patras, Patra, Greece
  • 4. Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany
  • 5. Department of Zoology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

Description

The aquatic snail genus Dianella (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae) has only two representatives in Greece: Dianella schlickumi Schütt, 1962 and Dianella thiesseana (Kobelt, 1878). D. schlickumi, a narrow endemic species to Lake Amvrakia (in Aitoloakarnania, western-central Greece), is considered as Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct, sensu IUCN 2017). Our study confirmed its presence in Lake Amvrakia, where it had not been detected for more than 30 years. We document the unknown anatomical characters based on the D. schlickumi specimens. Moreover, the presence of D. thiesseana in the nearby lakes Trichonis and Lysimachia was also confirmed, while morphometric analyses enabled the discrimination between the two species. Redundancy Analysis revealed conductivity, dissolved oxygen and pH as the main environmental variables related to the above species' distribution, shaping their community structure. Both Dianella species require urgent conservation measures to be enforced, due to their habitat degradation from human activities, which are limiting and fragmenting their range. For that purpose, effective management plans have to be elaborated and implemented at the mentioned lakes, focusing on the reduction of human pressures and on the improvement of their habitats.

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