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<p><i>Heleobia</i> is the most speciose genus in the family Cochliopidae, with nearly 100 valid species, many of which are morphologically similar. These aquatic snails reach their highest diversity in the Neotropics, although many areas remain poorly explored and numerous populations have uncertain taxonomic identity. To clarify the systematic position of isolated highland populations from northern Chile, I conducted mitochondrial DNA analyses using maximum parsimony (MP), neighbor-joining (NJ), and Bayesian inference (BI), complemented by morphological studies. A population from the Talar Saltpan in the Puna de Atacama was consistently recovered by all molecular methods as a new species, sister to the Altiplano species <i>Heleobia ascotanensis</i>. Another population, located 170&#xa0;m from Tilopozo (Atacama Saltpan), the type locality of <i>Heleobia atacamensis</i>, was identified as conspecific with this species. Three additional populations from the Chilean Altiplano, currently unassigned to any species, formed a monophyletic group with <i>Heleobia opachensis</i> in the MP and NJ analyses, sister to <i>Heleobia carcotensis</i>, although without node support; based on both phylogenetic placement and genetic similarity, they were assigned to <i>H. opachensis</i>. Genetic divergence of up to 2.3% between the Talar <i>Heleobia</i> population and its congeners, together with distinctive penial morphology, supports its recognition as a new species, here described as <i>Heleobia caelicola</i> sp. nov. The sister-group relationship between this new species and <i>H. ascotanensis</i>, along with the incipient genetic differentiation among Altiplano populations, highlights the role of geographic isolation in driving speciation in highland environments.</p>

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Cryptic Heleobia populations (Caenogastropoda: Cochliopidae) from northern Chilean highlands: evidence of high-altitude speciation

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年11月12日

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  • Gonzalo A. Collado

摘要

Heleobia is the most speciose genus in the family Cochliopidae, with nearly 100 valid species, many of which are morphologically similar. These aquatic snails reach their highest diversity in the Neotropics, although many areas remain poorly explored and numerous populations have uncertain taxonomic identity. To clarify the systematic position of isolated highland populations from northern Chile, I conducted mitochondrial DNA analyses using maximum parsimony (MP), neighbor-joining (NJ), and Bayesian inference (BI), complemented by morphological studies. A population from the Talar Saltpan in the Puna de Atacama was consistently recovered by all molecular methods as a new species, sister to the Altiplano species Heleobia ascotanensis. Another population, located 170 m from Tilopozo (Atacama Saltpan), the type locality of Heleobia atacamensis, was identified as conspecific with this species. Three additional populations from the Chilean Altiplano, currently unassigned to any species, formed a monophyletic group with Heleobia opachensis in the MP and NJ analyses, sister to Heleobia carcotensis, although without node support; based on both phylogenetic placement and genetic similarity, they were assigned to H. opachensis. Genetic divergence of up to 2.3% between the Talar Heleobia population and its congeners, together with distinctive penial morphology, supports its recognition as a new species, here described as Heleobia caelicola sp. nov. The sister-group relationship between this new species and H. ascotanensis, along with the incipient genetic differentiation among Altiplano populations, highlights the role of geographic isolation in driving speciation in highland environments.