title: Three new species of western California springsnails previously confused with Pyrgulopsis stearnsiana (Caenogastropoda, Hydrobiidae).
abstract: We describe three new, allopatric species of springsnails (genus Pyrgulopsis) from western California (Pyrgulopsis lindae, Pyrgulopsis ojaiensis, Pyrgulopsis torrida) that were previously identified as Pyrgulopsis stearnsiana. The new species are differentiated from Pyrgulopsis stearnsiana and each other both by mtCOI sequences (3.9-9.9%) and details of penial morphology. We also provide a phylogeny with increased sampling which confirms a previous finding that Pyrgulopsis stearnsiana sensu stricto is paraphyletic relative to two other California species (Pyrgulopsis diablensis, Pyrgulopsis giulianii). Our molecular and morphological evidence suggests that Pyrgulopsis stearnsiana paraphyly is an artifact of conservative taxonomy, however additional studies utilizing rapidly evolving genetic markers will be needed to confidently tease apart the cryptic diversity in this widely ranging springsnail. The new species described herein are narrowly distributed and vulnerable to anthropogenic stressors. The single known population of Pyrgulopsis torrida may have become extirpated between 2000 and 2015.
authors.affiliation: Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hershler
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Denver, CO 80217, USA.
authors.forename: Hsiu-Ping
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Denver, CO 80217, USA.
authors.forename: Caitlin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Babbitt
authors.affiliation: San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, 525 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94102, USA.
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Kellogg
authors.affiliation: The Nature Conservancy, 201 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105, USA.
authors.forename: Jeanette K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Howard
keywords: Gastropoda; United States; conservation; freshwater; taxonomy