Complete distribution of the genus Laevilitorina (Littorinimorpha, Littorinidae) in the Southern Hemisphere: remarks and natural history.

• Published in: ZooKeys
• Main Authors: Rosenfeld, Sebastián, Maturana, Claudia S., Spencer, Hamish G., Convey, Peter, Saucède, Thomas, Brickle, Paul, Bahamonde, Francisco, Jossart, Quentin, Poulin, Elie, Gonzalez-Wevar, Claudio
• Other Authors: Laboratorio de Ecosistemas Marinos Antárticos y Subantárticos, Universidad de Magallanes (UMAG), Millennium Institute Biodiversity of Antarctic and Subantarctic Ecosystems (BASE) (BASE), Cape Horn International Center (CHIC), Centro de Investigación Gaia-Antártica, Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, Department of Zoology, University of Otago Dunedin, Nouvelle-Zélande, British Antarctic Survey (BAS), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Department of Zoology University of Johannesburg, University of Johannesburg South Africa (UJ), Biogéosciences UMR 6282 (BGS), Université de Bourgogne (UB)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute UK, Falkland Islands Joint Nature Conservation Committee UK, School of Biological Sciences Aberdeen, University of Aberdeen, Laboratoire de Biologie Marine (LBM), Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), FONDAP Center for Genome Regulation (CGR), Work funded by ANID-Millennium Science Initiative Program ICN2021_002, Fondecyt Regular Project 1210787, and ANID/BASAL FB210018. We also appreciate the support of the following projects: Fondecyt Postdoctoral 3210063, IPEV program PROTEKER (#1044).
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2022
• Subjects: Antarctic; endemism; Laevilitorininae; sub-Antarctic; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; Antarc*; Antarctica; Antarctica New Zealand; Southern Ocean; West Antarctica
• Online Access: https://u-bourgogne.hal.science/hal-03911704; https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1127.91310

International audience Littorinid snails are present in most coastal areas globally, playing a significant role in the ecology of intertidal communities. Laevilitorina is a marine gastropod genus distributed exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere, with 21 species reported from South America, the sub-Antarctic islands, Antarctica, New Zealand, Australia and Tasmania. Here, an updated database of 21 species generated from a combination of sources is presented: 1) new field sampling data; 2) published records; 3) the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and The Atlas of Living Australia (ALA), to provide a comprehensive description of the known geographic distribution of the genus and detailed occurrences for each of the 21 species. The database includes 813 records (occurrences), 53 from field sampling, 174 from the literature, 128 from GBIF, and 458 from ALA. West Antarctica had the highest species richness (8 species), followed by sub-Antarctic islands of New Zealand (4 species) and the south-east shelf of Australia (4 species). The provinces of Magellan, New Zealand South Island, and sub-Antarctic Islands of the Indian Ocean include two species each. This study specifically highlights reports of L. pygmaea and L. venusta , species that have been almost unrecorded since their description. Recent advances in molecular studies of L. caliginosa showed that this species does not correspond to a widely distributed taxon, but to multiple divergent lineages distributed throughout the Southern Ocean. Ongoing molecular and taxonomic studies are necessary for a better understanding of the diversity and biogeography of this genus.