Some AssyriellaSpecies in South East Anatolia in Turkey Differentiated by Multivariate Statistical Analysis (Gastropoda: Pulmonata, Helicidae)

Authors: HASAN AKBAYIN, MURAT HEVEDANLI, RIDVAN ŞEŞEN

Abstract: This study was performed on 3 species of the genus Assyriella ( A. escheriana , A. guttata and A. thospitis) collected from Diyarbakır province in Southeast Anatolia. Two derived and 6 shell variables of 50 specimens were examined for each species. Hierarchical clustering and discriminant analysis were used to evaluate the data in order to clarify and contribute to some systematic problems of these species. It was shown that Ward's method with Euclidean distance is the most appropriate hierarchical clustering method to cluster these species. A. escheriana is clearly differentiated from A. guttata and A. thospitis by both Ward's method and discriminant analysis. The results of discriminant analysis and Ward's method reveal that A. thospitis and A. guttata may have a close evolutionary relationship. Also, the most important shell characters (variables) that differentiate these species from each other were determined by discriminant analysis and the success efficiency of these techniques in systematic problems was observed. Consequently, the results of this study showed that more precise identification can be made in classification of A. escheriana, A. guttata and A. thospitis if classical criteria are used together with the group classification functions obtained from discriminant analysis.

Keywords: Assyriella, Biometry, Numeric Taxonomy

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