Taxonomic review of Korean Siphonaria species (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Siphonariidae)

The present study provides a comprehensive taxonomic review of Korean <i>Siphonaria</i> species using a combination of shell morphology, radula structure and phylogenetic analysis of the mtDNA <i>cox1</i> sequences. This integrative analysis confirmed the validity of <i>S.acmaeoides</i>, <i>S.japonica</i> and <i>S.sirius</i> in Korea, highlighting differences in shell and siphonal groove morphology amongst these species. Detailed descriptions of shell and radula characteristics, along with mtDNA <i>cox1</i> sequences as DNA barcodes, are also provided, which are very useful for the accurate identification of <i>Siphonaria</i> species. Unlike these three <i>Siphonaria</i> species, the taxonomic validity of the four other species (<i>S.coreensis</i>, <i>S.javanica</i>, <i>S.laciniosa</i> and <i>S.rucuana</i>) previously reported from Korean waters is questionable, given their documented geographic distribution ranges and the potential misidentification of shell variants in Korean malacofaunal studies.