The first molecular confirmation of the presence of the genus Ladislavella (Gastropoda: Lymnaeidae) in the European part of Russia

Abstract

The article reports the finding of a population of freshwater snails morphologically and genetically identified as Ladislavella cf. terebra (Westerlund, 1885), in a reservoir situated in Penza City. This is the first reliable record of representatives of the genus Ladislavella on the territory of European Russia, at a considerable distance from the previously known boundaries of its range. Molecular data suggest that the examined population belongs to the previously unknown species of Ladislavella. The morphoanatomic and ecological characteristics of the studied population and some information about parasites and commensals of mollusсs are given.