Understanding the biogeography of a group of earthworms in the Mediterranean basin—The phylogenetic puzzle of Hormogastridae (Clitellata: Oligochaeta)

Twenty Years of Molecular Biogeography in the West Mediterranean Islands of Corsica and Sardinia: Lessons Learnt and Future Prospects

“…These results are likely due to the lack of resolution of the markers employed (allozymes) coupled with an incomplete taxon sampling [35]. Relationships within the genus and the family (Hormogastridae) are problematic and still in need of additional work based on as exhaustive taxon coverage as possible [36]. For land snails of the genus Solatopupa we found a relatively high number of within-area speciation and sorting events (Table 2).…”

Macroecological inferences on soil fauna through comparative niche modeling: The case of Hormogastridae (Annelida, Oligochaeta)

“…According to [36], absence from some part of the predicted niche suggest the action of unidentified factors excluding the species from these locations, such as competition or dispersal limitation. A combination of paleogeographical events [16,21,26] and competition [40] with other earthworms (mainly the family Lumbricidae) could explain some of the most remarkable absences. The Northeastern Iberia clade has not been found in the highly suitable zone of Cantabria and the Basque Country: this region was covered by the sea until the Upper Tertiary, then it was likely colonized from Aquitaine (France) by its dominant lumbricid fauna, with Lumbricus friendi and the giant Scherotheca sp among them [41].…”

“…The phylogeny of Hormogastridae has been clarified in the last years using molecular evidence: after [21,22,23] it has been divided in 9 clades. Xana, Vignysa, Hemigastrodrilus and Ailoscolex had already been described as independent genus, but the other five remain artificially joined in the catch-all genus Hormogaster.…”

Fauna Europaea: Annelida - Terrestrial Oligochaeta (Enchytraeidae and Megadrili), Aphanoneura and Polychaeta

“…Body size in these worms, particularly in the genus Hormogaster , is mostly large or even very large, reaching up to 90 cm in length and 100 g in weight (Omodeo and Rota 2008). Because of their endogeic habits, physiological adaptation to prolonged periods of drought (thanks to a long diapause), and low vagility, the Hormogastridae have often being the subject of biogeographical studies addressing the complex climatic history and land evolution of the western Mediterranean (Omodeo 1956, Bouché 1972, Bouché 1983, Omodeo 1984, Omodeo and Rota 1987, Cobolli Sbordoni et al 1992, Qiu and Bouché 1998b, Omodeo and Rota 2008, Novo et al 2011, Novo et al 2014). The phylogenetic relationships within the family are hardly recognized being generally hampered by inconsistent patterns of morphological differentiation (e.g.…”