Perez Kathryn E, Hutchins Benjamin T, Solis Megan, Schwartz Benjamin F
Department of Biology, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX, 78542, USA. .
Edwards Aquifer Research and Data Center, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, 78666, USA. .
Zootaxa. 2022 Nov 23;5213(1):64-74. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.5213.1.4.
Two new populations of Pyrgulopsis were found in springs in the Chihuahuan desert region of Texas. Pyrgulopsis Call & Pilsbry, 1886 are a diverse group of snails occupying freshwater springs, usually narrow-range endemics limited to a single spring. Their small ranges confer substantial conservation concern as the drying or disturbance of a single spring can lead to their extinction. We use mitochondrial COI and nuclear LSU sequences, shell morphometrics, and anatomical features to distinguish a new species of Pyrgulopsis endemic to the Big Bend region of Texas.