World Congress of Malacology Antwerp ... - Unitas Malacologica

image stacks which can be ‘virtually resectioned’ at any desired orientation and plane. We have also
experimented with the imaging of single organs dissected from larger specimens. These include the
buccal mass, circumoesophageal nerve ring and salivary glands of littorinids and muricids.
Challenges to the utilisation of the technique include interpretation of monochromatic images and
utilisation of large datasets.
The Gondwanan origin of Veronicellidae (Gastropoda, Soleolifera): evidences from a cladistic
morphological analysis
Gomes, Suzete R. 1 ; Mendes, Inga L.V. 1 ; Thomé, José W. 2
1. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Cep 91501-970, Porto
Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil,
Email: suzetebio@yahoo.com.br; inga.mendes@ufrgs.br
2. Praça Dom Feliciano 56/83, Cep 90020-160, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil,
Email: thomejwb@yahoo.com.br
A cladistic analysis was made, based on 52 morphological characters, obtained from 41 species,
classified within 20 genera, of Veronicellidae Gray, 1840. The objectives were to define the
synapomorphies for this family, discuss their relationship with the examined outgroups (species of
Rathouisiidae and Onchidiidae), establish relatedness hypotheses between the genera, as well as
discussing the validity of these taxa. The matrix was built using Winclada 1.00.08 and the cladistic
analysis was made using TNT 1.0. One most parsimonious tree was found, with 68 steps,
Consistency Index (CI) 85% and Retention Index (RI) 96%. This tree strongly supported the
monophyly of Veronicellidae and Rathouisioidea. Two larger clades were formed within of
Veronicellidae. One gathered the African and tropical Asia genera. The other grouped the neotropical
genera. The Australian region was mainly characterized by exotic species, presenting few native
species (found in some islands from Sundaland). Not all relationships among these clades were
resolved, although many were established. Some genera (mainly from South America) need to be
revised (Filicaulis, Sarasinula, Angustipes, Colosius, Heterovaginina, Montivaginulus,
Novovaginula, Potamojanuarius and Vaginulus) as no synapomorphies were found to support them.
The proposed phylogeny and the observed distribution patterns allow inferring that current
veronicellids share a Gondwanan ancestor.
Molecular phylogeny of the Helicodontidae and Trissexodontidae genera and their taxonomic
position within Helicoidea
Gómez-Moliner, Benjamín J. 1 ; Elejalde, M. Arantzazu 1 ; Madeira, María José 1 ; Martínez-Ortí,
Alberto 2 ; Arrébola, José Ramón 3 ; Muñoz, Benito 4 ; Puente, Ana Isabel 1
1. Dpto. Zoología y Biología Celular Animal, Facultad de Farmacia; Universidad del País Vasco;
Paseo de la Universidad 7, 01006 Vitoria, Álava, Spain,
Email: benjamin.gomez@ehu.es
2. Museu Valencià d´Història Natural, Passeig de la Petxina 15, E-46008 Valencia, Spain,
Email: alberto.martinez@uv.es
3. Dpto. Fisiología y Biología Animal; Facultad de Biología; Universidad de Sevilla, Avda Reina
Mercedes s/n, 41012 Sevilla, Spain,
Email: mastus@us.es
4. Dpto Biología Animal 1; Facultad de Biología; Universidad. Complutense Madrid, Jose Antonio
Novais 2, 28040 Madrid, Spain,
Email: titomu@bio.ucm.es
The evolutionary interrelationships of the Helicoidea remain largely unresolved, indicating that lower
level helicoidean taxa still require phylogenetic investigation. This is the case of the genera included
in the Helicodontidae and Trissexodontidae [following CLECOM system (Bank 2003)]. Many
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