Description of a new valvatoid Pikasia smenensis n. gen. n. sp. (Gastropoda, Hydrobiidae) from Morocco

Abstract

Recent field surveys conducted in the northern part of Morocco have led to the discovery of a new species belonging to a new genus Gregoia n. gen. described here. Photos of the holotype and paratype are presented in addition to the penis morphology and the female sex tract, the map of the sampling area with the type localities, and the habitat description.

Gafaita gafaitensis gen. et sp.n. a new hydrobiid snail (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae) from Morocco

“…In the last years, there has been a significant advancement of knowledge on the surface water malacofauna of Morocco in general, and especially on the family Hydrobiidae sensu stricto, with several new taxa discovered and described recently (Gloër et al, 2020a, b;Boulaassafeer et al, 2021;Mabrouki et al, 2020Mabrouki et al, , 2021Mabrouki et al, , 2022bTaybi et al, 2021Taybi et al, , 2022a. This paper is a direct continuation of this series of discoveries.…”

The first record of the invasive Chinese pond mussel Sinanodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834) (Bivalvia: Unionidae) in the African continent

“…Invasive and alien species keep being recorded from the aquatic ecosystems of Morocco, leading to the formation of new communities of species with diverse interactions and unpredictable changes, especially in freshwater ecosystems including the Sebou River basin (Mabrouki et al, 2019a, b;2020;Taybi & Mabrouki, 2020;Taybi et al 2020a, b;2021a). This unique ecosystem is home to a diverse array of animal and plant species, many of which are endemic, rare and vulnerable, including freshwater molluscs such as Ifrania zerroukansis Glöer, Mabrouki & Taybi, 2020, Pikasia smenensis Taybi, Glöer, & Mabrouki 2021 and Gyraulus marocana Mabrouki, Glöer & Taybi, 2022(Glöer et al, 2020Taybi et al, 2021b;Mabrouki et al, 2022). Including the Moroccan endemic Unionidae such as Unio foucauldianus Pallary, 1936 and the critically endangered Pseudunio marocanus (Pallary, 1918), these freshwater bivalves have particularly suffered from the degradation of streams and water bodies and are threatened to varying degrees (Gomes-dos-Santos et al, 2019;Sousa et al, 2019).…”

Four new species of the genus Pseudamnicola Paulucci, 1878 from Morocco (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae)

“…Up to now, 17 genera have been identified belonging to the Hydrobiidae family sensu stricto in Morocco (Mabrouki et al, 2021a(Mabrouki et al, , 2022. However, despite a growing number of data over the last years, resulting in the discovery of many new taxa (Glöer et al, 2020a, b;Ghamizi, 2021;Mabrouki et al, 2021b;Taybi et al, 2021), our knowledge of freshwater snails of Morocco remains scanty and we could argue that the picture of hydrobiid species list in North Africa is still incomplete.…”