World Congress of Malacology Antwerp ... - Unitas Malacologica

phylogenetic status of the Sicilian populations. The inferred phylogenetic relationships did not match
morphological (shell and genitalia) patterns. This result may significantly modify the current
taxonomy. Mitochondrial-based reconstructions defined several supported clades that were correlated
with geographic distribution and populations were found to have parapatric distribution. The
progressive decline in mtDNA sequence similarity observed over a distance of 250 km is consistent
with a model of isolation by distance, a pattern already recognised in other groups of land snails. For
one clade of Marmorana, colonisation along Mediterranean trade routes seems likely.
Land snail conservation in the Gabonese rainforest: Single large or single small?
Fontaine, Benoît; Gargominy, Olivier
Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, USM 602, 57 rue Cuvier, 75231 PARIS CEDEX 05, France,
Email: fontaine@mnhn.fr; gargo@mnhn.fr
In order to assess whether a protected area considered representative of regional large fauna is the
best option to preserve invertebrate fauna, we sampled molluscs inside and outside Lopé National
Park in Gabon. In the northern part of Lopé National Park, 116 stations were prospected and 71
species collected. Outside the park, 37 stations yielded 96 species, including 71 in Lastoursville, a
small limestone area where molluscs are significantly more abundant than in other collecting sites.
Overlap between sampling areas was limited, with 20.0% of the species found only in Lopé National
Park, and 40.8% of the species found only outside. This suggests that Lopé National Park does not
protect the whole molluscan diversity of central Gabon. Given the high levels of allopatric diversity
of tropical land snails, conservation strategies cannot be the same for them and for large range
vertebrates. Protecting small areas with a high abundance and diversity of molluscs would be less
expensive and as efficient for molluscan conservation as protecting large tracts of rainforest. Despite
a limited general knowledge on central African molluscs, robust estimates of sites specific diversity
can be produced. Limestone areas harbor a remarkable biodiversity: sites such as Lastoursville would
be ideal candidates for small protected areas dedicated to the conservation of land snails, and would
complement the role of large protected areas.
Achatina fulica: its molecular phylogeny and genetic variation in global populations
Fontanilla, I.K.C. 1,2 ; Hudelot, C. 1 ; Naggs, F. 3 ; Wade, C.M. 1
1. Institute of Genetics, University of Nottingham, Queen’s Medical Centre, Clifton Boulevard,
Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK
Email: ianfontanilla@hotmail.com
2. Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines, Diliman 1101, Quezon City,
Philippines
3. Department of Zoology, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
The giant African land snail, Achatina (=Lissachatina) fulica (Bowdich, 1822), is a tropical crop pest
species with a widespread distribution across East Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia,
the Pacific and the Caribbean. The phylogenetic position of A. fulica within the Family Achatinidae
and Superfamily Achatinoidea was investigated using segments of the nuclear large subunit (LSU)
ribosomal (r) RNA, actin and histone 3 genes and the mitochondrial 16S rRNA and cytochrome
oxidase I genes. Results support the monophyly of the Family Achatinidae as well as the taxonomic
designation of A. fulica as Lissachatina fulica, thus distinguishing it from the Western and Central
Achatina species as proposed by Bequert (1950) and Mead (1995). The extent of genetic diversity in
global A. fulica populations was also determined using an SSCP molecular marker developed from
the 16S rRNA gene. Results reveal only one haplotype emerged from East Africa and spread
globally.
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