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Zootaxa 3134: 1–42 (2011) Article ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition)
www.mapress.com/zootaxa/
ZOOTAXA
Copyright © 2011 · Magnolia Press
ISSN 1175-5334 (online edition)
Monographic revision of the endemic Helix mazzullii De Cristofori & Jan, 1832
complex from Sicily and re-introduction of the genus Erctella Monterosato, 1894
(Pulmonata, Stylommatophora, Helicidae)
M. STELLA COLOMBA1,6, ARMANDO GREGORINI1, FABIO LIBERTO2,
AGATINO REITANO3, SALVATORE GIGLIO4 & IGNAZIO SPARACIO5
1Università di Urbino, DiSTeVA, Via Maggetti 22 (loc. Sasso), 61029 Urbino (PU), Italy
2Strada Provinciale Cefalù-Gibilmanna n 93, 90015 Cefalù (PA), Italy
3Via Gravina 77, 95030 Tremestieri Etneo (CT), Italy
4Contrada Settefrati, 90015 Cefalù (PA), Italy
5Via E. Notarbartolo 54 int. 13, 90145 Palermo, Italy
6Corresponding author. E-mail: mariastella.colomba@uniurb.it
Table of contents
Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Material and methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Molecular data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Morphological data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Geographic distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Biology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Paleontology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Systematics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Helicidae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Erctella Monterosato, 1894 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Erctella mazzullii (De Cristofori & Jan, 1832) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Erctella cephalaeditana (Giannuzzi-Savelli, Oliva & Sparacio, 1986) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Erctella insolida (Monterosato, 1892) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Abstract
Helix mazzullii De Cristofori & Jan, 1832 s.l.(Pulmonata, Stylommatophora, Helicidae) is an endemic, rupicolous, saxi-
cavous taxon of northwestern Sicily. Its populations are vulnerable and it is of great ecological significance. However, its
taxonomy, phylogeny and biogeography are still uncertain. The present paper reports on a comprehensive analysis of mor-
phological diagnostic characters (shell and genitalia) joined by the molecular study of two mitochondrial (16S rRNA and
12S rRNA) and one nuclear (ITS-2) partial gene sequences, investigated by individual segment analyses or combining the
three gene fragments with a concatenate analysis. Our results corroborated the hypothesis that this species is rather a group
(i.e., the mazzullii group) including three different taxa (mazzullii, cephalaeditana and insolida) recognized as species.
Moreover, molecular dating of lineages suggests that this complex might have occurred long before the Messinian salinity
crisis. Finally, peculiar morphological and ecological features along with molecular data strongly support the proposal to
re-introduce the genus Erctella Monterosato, 1894 for the H. mazzullii complex. Synonyms and bibliographic references
are reported in the systematic part; collection records are listed in Appendix 1.
Key words: Land snails, mazzullii group, Erctella, Helicidae, Sicilian endemism, molecular taxonomy, molecular phy-
logeny, biodiversity, biogeography, Mio-pliocene events
Accepted by J. Gerber: 19 Oct. 2011; published: 16 Dec. 2011 1
