On the identity of Radix peregra (O. F. Müller, 1774)(Gastropoda: Basommatophora: Lymnaidae) in the Azores. Radix in the Azores

Specimens of the freshwater gastropod genus Radix Montfort, 1810 were collected in March 2015 in two São Miguel Island creeks, the largest island in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. Based on the shape of their shells they could have been assigned to two different Radix species. Because it is now known that morpho-anatomical studies of the shells and genitalia do not allow for a reliable determination of most Radix species, DNA markers were used as the best tools for identification. Four specimens, two from each location, were subject to molecular identification. Their cyt-b and ITS-2 sequences formed one cluster with the sequences of the Radix balthica specimens used in the analysis. This is the first identification of this species, a potential intermediate host of the Fasciola hepatica Linnaeus, 1758, based on molecular genetics for the Azores