Monacha cantiana s.l. (Montagu, 1803) (Gastropoda: Hygromiidae) - mitochondrial lineage occurring in Austria

Monacha cantiana s.l., a species not native to Austria, was first recorded in northern lower Austria in 1995 and later in Vienna and surroundings. Its distribution continues to spread. To clarify the origins of this introduced species, some Viennese populations of M. cantiana s.l. were compared with other M. cantiana lineages using the mitochondrial cytochrom c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) and 16SrRNA (16S) gene sequences. Genital structures were dissected to find anatomical traits that could distinguish different species or genetic lineages. A Maximum Likelihood tree placed the Austrian specimens in a clade of north Italian populations. Specimens from both areas showed identical morphology of anatomical structures. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the Austrian-north Italian clade was closely related to the French Monacha cemenelea, but not to M. cantiana s.str.. More comprehensive studies using molecular genetic markers and anatomical traits may be able to determine whether or not the Austrian-north Italian clade is conspecific with M. cemenelea.