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This paper presents a comprehensive revision of Circassina (Gastropoda: Hygromiidae). Circassina is divided into two subgenera. The nominotypical subgenus is characterized by an inflation forming a brim at the base of the dart apparatus, whereas Circassina (Abchasohela) is characterized by a granular shell sculpture. Circassina (Circassina) includes C. frutis (with the subspecies C. f. frutis, C. frutis circassica and C. frutis veselyi), which ranges from the northwestern slope of the Caucasus Mountains throughout most of Georgia to northernmost Armenia and the Eastern Pontic Mountains in Turkey, and C. lasistana new species, which is only known from the Vileyet Artvin in Turkey. Circassina (Abchasohela) includes C. christophori, C. pachnodes, C. pergranulata new species, C. septentrionalis new species and C. stephaniae. All species of Circassina (Abchasohela) are restricted to Abkhasia and the adjacent Russian regions in westernmost Caucasia. The shell and the genitalia of each taxon are described and illustrated. All synonyms and all locality records are listed. The distribution of the species is illustrated on a UTM-grid map. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims Southwestern Asia is a significant centre of biodiversity and a cradle of diversification for many plant groups, especially xerophytic elements. In contrast, little is known about the evolution and diversification of its hygrophytic flora. To fill this gap, we focus on Cardamine (Brassicaceae) species that grow in wetlands over a wide altitudinal range. We aimed to elucidate their evolution, assess the extent of presumed historical gene flow between species, and draw inferences about intraspecific structure. Methods We applied the phylogenomic Hyb-Seq approach, ecological niche analyses and multivariate morphometrics to a total of 85 Cardamine populations from the target region of Anatolia–Caucasus, usually treated as four to six species, and supplemented them with close relatives from Europe. Key Results Five diploids are recognized in the focus area, three of which occur in regions adjacent to the Black and/or Caspian Sea (C. penzesii , C. tenera , C. lazica), one species widely distributed from the Caucasus to Lebanon and Iran (C. uliginosa), and one western Anatolian entity (provisionally C. cf. uliginosa). Phylogenomic data suggest recent speciation during the Pleistocene, likely driven by both geographic separation (allopatry) and ecological divergence. With the exception of a single hybrid (allotetraploid) speciation event proven for C. wiedemanniana , an endemic of southern Turkey, no significant traces of past or present interspecific gene flow were observed. Genetic variation within the studied species is spatially structured, suggesting reduced gene flow due to geographic and ecological barriers, but also glacial survival in different refugia. Conclusions This study highlights the importance of the refugial regions of the Black and Caspian Seas for both harbouring and generating hygrophytic species diversity in Southwestern Asia. It also supports the significance of evolutionary links between Anatolia and the Balkan Peninsula. Reticulation and polyploidization played a minor evolutionary role here in contrast to the European relatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Aegean archipelago, as an 'evolutionary laboratory of nature', is an ideal model for research in phylogeography. In this area, the darkling beetles of the genus Dendarus (distributed from Morocco to the Caucasus) exhibit a high level of diversity with 36 species, 27 of which are island endemics. However, their taxonomy is complex and unstable, having undergone continuous revision to address extensive morphological and ecological plasticity. Here, we examine the phylogenetic relationships of 23 species from Greece and Turkey, using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences and 61 morphological characters, to unveil their phylogeny in the Aegean. This helps to clarify phylogeographic scenarios and historical processes that shaped the observed patterns. The analyses reveal 13 distinct lineages with several para- and polyphyletic cases that correspond to three major phylogroups [south/south-east Aegean (D. foraminosus complex, D. rhodius , D. sporadicus , D. wettsteini); central to north Aegean, Turkey and mainland Greece (D. crenulatus , D. moesiacus group, D. sinuatus complex, D. stygius) and mainland Greece (D. messenius , D. paganettii)], indicating the need for further taxonomic re-evaluation. Lineage topology and phylogeography suggest a spatial and temporal sequence of geographic isolation, following either a vicariant or a dispersal model coincident with major palaeogeographic separations in the Aegean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teleseismic phase readings from the Eastern Turkey Seismic Experiment (ETSE) have been inverted using teleseismic tomography in order to create a 3-D image of the underlying mantle beneath Eastern Turkey. The aim was to investigate the existence of an upper mantle negative velocity anomaly that is used to explain the uplift of Eastern Anatolian plateau and the potential pieces of detached oceanic slabs related to Neo-Tethyan subduction suggested by previous studies. Using teleseismic waveforms from the 29 stations of the Eastern Turkey Seismic Experiment, 2926 direct P phases from 146 events were picked by using adaptive stacking techniques. In order to increase the station coverage and resolve the surrounding area, the phase readings from the International Seismological Center (ISC) Bulletin have also been added. The data set consists of 9571 P and PKP phase readings of 79 stations from 503 teleseismic events. This study develops the first high-resolution 3-D upper mantle P-wave tomographic model for this region. The tomographic results show the existence of an upper mantle negative velocity anomaly to a depth of ∼200 km beneath the eastern Anatolian accreationary complex (EAAC) as commonly observed in the previous studies that suggest a shallow partially molten asthenosphere. The slab-like high velocity anomalies beneath the EAAC, Pontides and Caucasus are interpreted as the detached southern and northern Neo-Tethys slabs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]