Limax (Gastropoda: Pulmonata: Stylommatophora) in Corsica (part II): A case of double radiation

由于它们独特、高度复杂和敏感的交配策略，以及自发的侏儒化（“盆景”），Limax属非常适合作为一个特殊的，甚至可能是同域物种形成的例子。众所周知的地中海科西嘉岛的地质历史使我们有可能将推断出的一个基本上未知的物种综合体的系统发育和大约12-15个物种的辐射（到目前为止由形态学和生殖生物学定义）置于地质历史背景中。提出的调查要特别应用分子系统的方法，线粒体和核基因的各种突变率。此外，育种实验使分子结果与生物物种概念的相关性成为可能。目标是：(1)科西嘉岛有多少（特有的）limax物种？(2)科西嘉的Limax属是单系的吗？(3)附近大陆（托斯卡纳）可能的姊妹物种是什么？(4)如何通过物种形成机制和入侵事件来解释物种关系的推断模式？弄清这些问题不仅对当前的进化生物学问题具有重要意义，而且对各自物种的生存也有直接的影响。科西嘉的利马克斯物种非常濒危，濒临灭绝，因为它们的分布非常有限，而且它们的栖息地受到持续的破坏（特别是通过焚烧森林）。

Because of their unique, highly complex, and sensitif strategy of copulation and because of spontaneous cases of dwarfing ("Bonsais"), the genus Limax is extremely well suited to serve as an example of ad hoc, possibly even sympatric speciation. The well known geohistory of the Mediterranean Island Corsica enables the possibility to place the inferred phylogeny of a largely unknown species complex and radiation of about 12-15 species (up to now defined by morphological and reproduction biology) within a geohistoric context. The proposed investigations want to apply particularly molecular-systematic methodology of mitochondrial and nuclear genes with various mutation rates. In addition, breeding experiments enable the correlation of the molecular results with respect to the biological species concept. Objectives are: (1) How many (endemic) Limax-species do exist in Corsica? (2) Is the genus Limax in Corsica monophyletic? (3) What is (are) the probable sister-species at the nearby continent (Toscana)? (4) How to explain the inferred pattern of species relationships by mechanisms of speciations and invasion events? To clear up these question not only has high significance for current questions of evolutionary biology, but also has direct impact with respect to survival of the respective species. Corsican Limax-species are notoriously very endangered to become extinct because of their very limited distribution and because of sustainable destruction of their habitat (particularly by burnings of the woods).