Biodiversity, phylogeny and biogeography of the family Sphaeriidae (Mollusca: Bivalvia) in Morocco ... : Biodiversität, Phylogenie und Biogeographie der Familie Sphaeriidae (Mollusca: Bivalvia) in Marokko ...

• Main Authors: Rassam, Hanane, Justus Liebig University Giessen
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Universitätsbibliothek Gießen 2022
• Subjects: Systematics; Distribution; Phylogeography; bivalves; freshwater; Morocco; ddc570; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.22029/jlupub-18172; https://jlupub.ub.uni-giessen.de//handle/jlupub/18808

The family Sphaeriidae Deshayes, 1855 is widely distributed across the globe, except for Antarctica, with a high species richness of up to 200 species. In Morocco, freshwater bivalves are receiving more and more attention in recent years and data on the families of this group are no longer a mystery for most of them. However, many uncertainties surround the current diversity and distribution of the family Sphaeriidae. This information, including taxonomy, phylogeography and conservation status, is essential for further studies to improve knowledge of this family in Morocco and represents the first step towards the development of a national conservation plan for all freshwater bivalves. In the present work, several investigations were carried out to evaluate the diversity and distribution of Sphaeriidae in the different basins of Morocco, covering different types of habitats (lakes, springs, rivers and small ponds) and microhabitats (mud, aquatic plants, etc). The identification of specimens and their ...