Phylogenetic Analysis and Taxonomic Revision of Land Snails

Land snails represent a hyperdiverse assemblage whose morphological plasticity and convergent traits have long challenged classical taxonomy. Recent decades have witnessed the integration of molecular phylogenetics, particularly multilocus mitochondrial and nuclear markers, with traditional morphology to reconstruct robust evolutionary frameworks. Phylogenetic analysis has illuminated deep lineages, revealed cryptic species complexes and clarified biogeographical patterns across karst and forest ecosystems. Concurrently, taxonomic revision employing rigorous species‐delimitation algorithms and morphological reassessment has reshaped genus‐ and species‐level classifications, underpinning biodiversity assessments and conservation planning. These advances have global significance, informing both the management of invasive pests and the protection of endemic radiations threatened by habitat loss.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have applied multilocus phylogenetic methods to operculate land snails, combining mitochondrial and nuclear markers with detailed shell morphology to disentangle species complexes. In one notable case, comprehensive analyses employing Poisson tree processes, automatic barcode gap discovery and mixed Yule‐coalescent models revealed that the nominal Cyclophorus volvulus comprises at least three distinct evolutionary lineages, each corresponding to discrete geographic regions. This work resulted in the formal description of two new species alongside the redefinition of the original taxon, demonstrating the efficacy of integrated molecular and morphological approaches in resolving longstanding taxonomic ambiguities.

Phylogenetic Analysis and Taxonomic Revision of Land Snails publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in phylogenetic analysis and taxonomic revision of land snails across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Phylogenetic analysis: Reconstruction of evolutionary relationships among taxa using molecular or morphological data to infer lineage divergence.

Species delimitation: Analytical methods (e.g. PTP, ABGD, GMYC) that employ genetic or morphological criteria to define taxonomic boundaries.

Monophyly: A group containing an ancestor and all its descendants, indicating a single evolutionary lineage.

Cryptic species: Distinct species that are morphologically similar but genetically divergent and often undetected by traditional taxonomy.

Mitochondrial DNA: Genetic material from the mitochondria commonly used in phylogenetics for its high copy number and maternal inheritance.

References

1. Phylogenetics and species delimitations of the operculated land snail Cyclophorus volvulus (Gastropoda: Cyclophoridae) reveal cryptic diversity and new species in Thailand. Scientific Reports (2019).
2. Morphological and Molecular Characterization of the Invasive Pestiferous Land Snail Macrochlamys indica Godwin-Austen, 1883 (Gastropoda: Ariophantidae) from Saudi Arabia. Agriculture (2022).
3. Annotated checklist of the terrestrial molluscs from Laos (Mollusca, Gastropoda). ZooKeys (2019).
4. Integrative taxonomic revision of the land snail genus Sarika Godwin-Austen, 1907 in Thailand, with descriptions of nine new species (Eupulmonata, Ariophantidae). ZooKeys (2020).