Applied Entomology and Zoology (2008) 43, 535-540

Keiichiro Matsukura, Mitsuru Okuda, Kenji Kubota and Takashi Wada (2008)
Genetic divergence of the genus Pomacea (Gastropoda: Ampullariidae) distributed in Japan, and a simple molecular method to distinguish P. canaliculata and P. insularum
Applied Entomology and Zoology 43 (4), 535-540
Abstract: Snails of the genus Pomacea in several regions of Japan showed genetic divergence. Phylogenetic analysis based on the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene segregated them into two major clades, one corresponding to P. insularum, the other to P. canaliculata. We developed a simple molecular method to distinguish between the two species to investigate their distribution in Japan. We identified P. canaliculata at all 16 sampling locations except Iriomote Isle, and P. insularum at four locations (Iwata, Fukuyama, Ishigaki Isle, and Iriomote Isle), supporting a previous report that P. canaliculata is the dominant species in Japan. Morphological comparison of the two species collected from the same habitat (Ishigaki Isle) revealed that most P. canaliculata had clear dark spiral bands on their shells, and that P. insularum had no or only faint spiral bands. However, it is difficult to distinguish the two species using only shell morphology.
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Database assignments for author(s): Takashi Wada

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
identification/taxonomy
molecular biology - genes

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Pomacea canaliculata		Japan