Multiple Introductions of the Pestiferous Land Snail Theba pisana (Muller, 1774) (Gastropoda: Helicidae) in Southern California.

ABSTRACT: The terrestrial land snail Theba pisana is circum-Mediterranean in native range and widely introduced and pestiferous in regions around the world. In California, USA, T. pisana has been recorded intermittently since 1914, but its source population(s) are unknown, and no morphological or molecular analyses within or between California populations have been published. Therefore, we compared molecular data (CO1, 16S, ITS2) and internal morphology (jaw, radula, reproductive system) in T. pisana collected from Los Angeles and San Diego counties in 2019-2020. DNA barcode (CO1 mtDNA) analysis revealed that T. pisana from Los Angeles County was most similar to T. pisana from the Mediterranean island of Malta, and northern San Diego County-collected specimens were

SUBMITTER: Vendetti JE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8396441 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature