A new distinctive lineage of Helix (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora, Helicidae), with a guide to Helix species from mainland Greece

Greece is home to numerous endemic land snail species, sometimes with highly restricted distributions. Several species of Helix, representing all three subgenera, live there. Although the genus was taxonomically revised in 2014, there remained some open questions and the distribution ranges of indiv...

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Main Authors: Ondřej Korábek, Petr Dolejš, Radovan Coufal, Lucie Juřičková, Kateřina Kubíková, Bernhard Hausdorf
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Pensoft Publishers 2025-08-01
Series:ZooKeys
Online Access:https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/143635/download/pdf/
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author Ondřej Korábek
Petr Dolejš
Radovan Coufal
Lucie Juřičková
Kateřina Kubíková
Bernhard Hausdorf
author_facet Ondřej Korábek
Petr Dolejš
Radovan Coufal
Lucie Juřičková
Kateřina Kubíková
Bernhard Hausdorf
author_sort Ondřej Korábek
collection DOAJ
description Greece is home to numerous endemic land snail species, sometimes with highly restricted distributions. Several species of Helix, representing all three subgenera, live there. Although the genus was taxonomically revised in 2014, there remained some open questions and the distribution ranges of individual species are still incompletely known. The discovery of a new, narrowly endemic subspecies, Helix pelagonesica thembones Korábek, Juřičková & Hausdorf, subsp. nov., is reported from the hills bordering the Thessalian Plain in the west. It was previously confused with Helix schlaeflii, but it was found that H. schlaeflii does not occur as far east as previously thought. Notably, the isolated populations from the tip of the Sithonia peninsula (Chalkidiki) that had previously been identified as H. schlaeflii also turned out to be related to H. pelagonesica. Although a divergent mitochondrial lineage was found there, morphological differences limited only to a different shell shape and lack of geographic separation led us to classify these populations as a form of H. pelagonesica pelagonesica. In addition, Helix straminea is reported from Greece for the first time, with a population located near Kalambaka. All the Helix species from mainland Greece are illustrated and accompanied by descriptions to facilitate their recognition and maps of their distribution are provided.
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publishDate 2025-08-01
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spelling doaj-art-f17ca2ad1e85440fb7f721f7b80e8b372025-08-20T07:33:01ZengPensoft PublishersZooKeys1313-29702025-08-0112499313510.3897/zookeys.1249.143635143635A new distinctive lineage of Helix (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora, Helicidae), with a guide to Helix species from mainland GreeceOndřej Korábek0Petr Dolejš1Radovan Coufal2Lucie Juřičková3Kateřina Kubíková4Bernhard Hausdorf5Charles UniversityNational Museum of the Czech Republic – Natural History MuseumMasaryk UniversityCharles UniversityCharles UniversityLeibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity ChangeGreece is home to numerous endemic land snail species, sometimes with highly restricted distributions. Several species of Helix, representing all three subgenera, live there. Although the genus was taxonomically revised in 2014, there remained some open questions and the distribution ranges of individual species are still incompletely known. The discovery of a new, narrowly endemic subspecies, Helix pelagonesica thembones Korábek, Juřičková & Hausdorf, subsp. nov., is reported from the hills bordering the Thessalian Plain in the west. It was previously confused with Helix schlaeflii, but it was found that H. schlaeflii does not occur as far east as previously thought. Notably, the isolated populations from the tip of the Sithonia peninsula (Chalkidiki) that had previously been identified as H. schlaeflii also turned out to be related to H. pelagonesica. Although a divergent mitochondrial lineage was found there, morphological differences limited only to a different shell shape and lack of geographic separation led us to classify these populations as a form of H. pelagonesica pelagonesica. In addition, Helix straminea is reported from Greece for the first time, with a population located near Kalambaka. All the Helix species from mainland Greece are illustrated and accompanied by descriptions to facilitate their recognition and maps of their distribution are provided.https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/143635/download/pdf/
spellingShingle Ondřej Korábek
Petr Dolejš
Radovan Coufal
Lucie Juřičková
Kateřina Kubíková
Bernhard Hausdorf
A new distinctive lineage of Helix (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora, Helicidae), with a guide to Helix species from mainland Greece
ZooKeys
title A new distinctive lineage of Helix (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora, Helicidae), with a guide to Helix species from mainland Greece
title_full A new distinctive lineage of Helix (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora, Helicidae), with a guide to Helix species from mainland Greece
title_fullStr A new distinctive lineage of Helix (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora, Helicidae), with a guide to Helix species from mainland Greece
title_full_unstemmed A new distinctive lineage of Helix (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora, Helicidae), with a guide to Helix species from mainland Greece
title_short A new distinctive lineage of Helix (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora, Helicidae), with a guide to Helix species from mainland Greece
title_sort new distinctive lineage of helix gastropoda stylommatophora helicidae with a guide to helix species from mainland greece
url https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/143635/download/pdf/
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