E. Gittenberger’s research while affiliated with Naturalis Biodiversity Center and other places

For more than a century hardly any new data have been published on the semislug genus Girasia J.E. Gray, 1855. Here, a conspicuous, bright-yellowish species from Bhutan is described as new to science. Its radula is characterized by a very large number of single teeth.

The taxa of the subgenus Turritus of Cochlostoma (Cochlostomatidae) are analysed based on molecular and morphological data. The phylogenetic trees, based on ribosomal (16S) and nuclear (H3) DNA, indicate that the currently accepted taxonomy should be revised. Based on our data, there are 37 species in Turritus of which 5 are new to science: Cochlostoma (Turritus) pallgergelyi sp. nov., C. (T.) muranyii sp. nov., C. (T.) hallgassi sp. nov., C. (T.) kontschani sp. nov. and C. (T.) lacazei sp. nov. Of these, we describe the shells and the female genitalia and summarize the distributional data. Some samples (or set of samples) will remain undetermined for lack of data and these are reported in the appendix.

Molecular phylogenetic studies have provided new insights into the relationships within the highly speciose clausiliid subfamily Phaedusinae, but they have also triggered new questions about the position of Synprosphyma A.J. Wagner 1920 within that subfamily. This study shows that Synprosphyma constitutes a c. 37.3 million-year-old lineage within Clausiliidae, which is neither closely connected with the remaining Phaedusinae nor with any other clausiliid taxon. Synprosphyma is therefore placed in a separate subfamily, Synprosphyminae. It constitutes a third eastern Eurasian lineage of Clausiliidae, next to Garnieriinae and the redefined Phaedusinae. Our phylogeographic analysis points to a larger role of eastern Eurasia in the biogeographic history of Clausiliidae than previously assumed; however, it is not yet resolved whether this was as part of a wide ancestral Eurasian range of Clausiliidae or as an area that was repeatedly colonized from western Eurasia. The distributional pattern of Phaedusinae, Synpros-phyminae, and Garnieriinae in Eurasia is similar to that of relict floras, which suggests similar climatic preferences coupled with a comparable role of historical range contractions and/or passive dispersal.

Bilateria exhibit whole-body handedness in internal structure. This left–right polarity is evolutionarily conserved with virtually no reversed extant lineage, except in molluscan Gastropoda. Phylogenetically independent snail groups contain both clockwise-coiled (dextral) and counterclockwise-coiled (sinistral) taxa that are reversed from each other in bilateral handedness as well as in coiling direction. Within freshwater Hygrophila, Lymnaea with derived dextrality have diaphanous related formin (diaph) gene duplicates, while basal sinistral groups possess one diaph gene. In terrestrial Stylommatophora, dextral Bradybaena also have diaph duplicates. Defective maternal expression of one of those duplicates gives rise to sinistral hatchlings in Lymnaea and handedness-mixed broods in Bradybaena, through polarity change in spiral cleavage of embryos. These findings led to the hypothesis that diaph duplication was crucial for the evolution of dextrality by reversal. The present study discovered that diaph duplication independently occurred four times and its duplicate became lost twice in gastropods. The dextrality of Bradybaena represents the ancestral handedness conserved across gastropods, unlike the derived dextrality of Lymnaea. Sinistral lineages recurrently evolved by reversal regardless of whether diaph had been duplicated. Amongst the seven formin gene subfamilies, diaph has most thoroughly been conserved across eukaryotes of the 14 metazoan phyla and choanoflagellate. Severe embryonic mortalities resulting from insufficient expression of the duplicate in both of Bradybaena and Lymnaea also support that diaph duplicates bare general roles for cytoskeletal dynamics other than controlling spiralian handedness. Our study rules out the possibility that diaph duplication or loss played a primary role for reversal evolution. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00239-023-10130-3.

Documenting temporal and spatial occurrence trends of Non-Indigenous Species (NIS) is essential to understand vectors and pathways of introduction, and for horizon scanning for future introductions. This study provides an overview of marine NIS found in the Republic of Ireland up to 2020. Taxonomic groups, species origin, and location of first reporting (counties) were compiled and analysed focusing on the last three decades. While the unambiguous characterisation of introduction events is challenging, analysis of 110 species corroborated the global weight of evidence that shipping activities to/from ports and marinas are the most likely vectors and pathways in Ireland. A comparable review study for the Netherlands revealed that most NIS were first introduced to mainland Europe and subsequently would take on average >15 years to reach Ireland. In the last two decades there has been an increase in NIS-focused surveys in Ireland. Incorporating data from these surveys in centralized national repositories such as the National Biodiversity Data Centre, will strongly aid the evaluation of potential NIS management responses. Furthermore, the availability of robust baseline data as well as predictions of future invaders and their associated vectors and pathways will facilitate the effective application of emerging monitoring technologies such as DNA-based approaches.

Information on temporal and spatial trends with regard to the introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS) is often sparsely available. These trends may potentially help improve the design and focus of monitoring programs, give insights into new pathways and hotspots, and facilitate horizon scanning. We provide an overview of 215 marine and brackish water NIS recorded in The Netherlands. Temporal trends over the most recent three decades for taxonomic groups, species origin, introduction vectors, and water systems were analysed. We attempt to explain the observed patterns and discuss factors that hamper their explanation. A shift in the region of origin from Pacific to W Atlantic can potentially be linked to legislation prohibiting Pacific oyster imports, whereas a subsequent shift backwards cannot. Case studies illustrate that NIS may not be first detected in the water systems where they were originally introduced. Additionally, it is shown that changes in allegedly native species’ distribution or seasonal pattern should be linked to an introduced cryptic NIS instead. We also discuss the shortcomings of monitoring programs that were originally not focused on NIS, the importance of naturalists’ observations, and the added value of a more recent network that is focused on NIS detection in the coastal waters of The Netherlands.

In a spring area near Thimphu two species of micro-gastropods were discovered, which are described as new to science here. The endemic Tricula tashiae spec. nov. is next to the more widespread T. montana Benson, 1843, and is the second Tricula species known now from Bhutan. Erhaia benjii spec. nov. is described as the fifth endemic Erhaia species for the country.

Recent fieldwork in Bhutan resulted in the discovery of 4 endemic species of Endothyrella that are described as new to science, viz. E. barnai Gittenberger & Sherub, E. manasensis Gittenberger & Sherub, E. pterocallus Gittenberger, Gyeltshen & Tobgay, and E. trimagnipili Gittenberger, Gyeltshen & Tobgay. This results in a total of 9 Endothyrella species for Bhutan, 7 of which are not known from elsewhere. The new species are described and additional data are presented for the Endothyrella species dealt with in an earlier paper. A revised identification key for the Bhutanese species, based on shell characters, is added. The diversity in shell size and structure is discussed and 4 species groups are provisionally distinguished on the basis of the structure of the genital tracts.

Samples of the genera Dioryx and Cycloryx from Bhutan are identified or described as new species. Next to the wide- spread D. urnula, 7 species of Cycloryx are recognized, 4 of which are endemic to Bhutan and new to science, viz. C. pemaledai Gittenberger & Sherub, spec. nov., C. globhu- tanus Gittenberger & Sherub, spec. nov., C. haumbiclausus Gittenberger & Gyeltshen, spec. nov., and C. sajumbiclausus Gittenberger & Gyeltshen, spec. nov. An identification key is provided for Cycloryx species. Cycloryx summus (Godwin- Austen, 1914), which was described from “Rechila Peak, Western Bhutan”, is not accepted as a Bhutanese species since its type locality is most probably in West Bengal, out- side the present borders of Bhutan.

The distribution of the five Erhaia (Gastropoda, Truncatelloidea, Amnicolidae) species that are diagnosed by both morphological and molecular data is combined with several records of less completely diagnosed nominal Erhaia species. The resulting distribution pattern is summarized in a map and is discussed herein. Erhaia norbui sp. nov. is described from Bhutan on the basis of shell morphology and two mitochondrial DNA barcoding markers. A molecular phylogeny is presented for the five Erhaia species for which molecular data are available, three of which form a separate clade and are from Bhutan.