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Armando Gregorini

  • Biodiversity Journal, 6 (1): 401-411 - MONOGRAPH

    Maria Stella Colomba, Armando Gregorini, Fabio Liberto, Agatino Reitano, Salvatore Giglio & Ignazio Sparacio
    The genus Erctella Monterosato, 1894: new molecular evidence
    Proceedings of the 2nd International Congress “Speciation and Taxonomy”, May 16th-18th 2014, Cefalù-Castelbuono (Italy)

    ABSTRACT
    In this paper we report on new molecular data (COI sequences) of different and representative populations of Erctella mazzullii (De Cristofori et Jan, 1832), E. cephalaeditana Giannuzzi-Savelli, Oliva et Sparacio, 2012 and E. insolida (Monterosato, 1892) (Pulmonata, Stylommatophora, Helicidae). Present results are compared with those from recent literature and the current knowledge on phylogenetic relationships among Helicidae pulmonate gastropods is reviewed. Obtained results suggest that: i) Cornu Born, 1778 and Cantareus Risso, 1826 are separate and well distinct from Helix Linnaeus, 1758; ii) Erctella Monterosato, 1894 is a valid and independent genus rather than a subgenus of Cornu; iii) Cornu aspersum (O.F. Müller, 1774) is a group of species (i.e. "aspersum" group) whose taxonomic status needs to be defin further studies; iv) Cornu, Cantareus and Erctella might belong to the same tribe that, still, remains to be defined.

  • Biodiversity Journal, 3 (4): 571-582

    Maria Stella Colomba, Fabio Liberto, Agatino Reitano, Walter Renda, Giuseppe Pocaterra, Armando Gregorini & Ignazio Sparacio
    Molecular studies on the genus Medora H. et A. Adams, 1855 from Italy (Gastropoda Pulmonata Clausiliidae)

    ABSTRACT
    In Italy, the genus Medora H. et A. Adams, 1855 includes two species: M. italiana (Küster, 1847) and M. dalmatina (Rossmässler, 1835). In particular, populations ascribed to M. italiana were, and still are, the focus of several works aiming at better understanding the real taxonomic value of these entities and defining their presence on the Italian territory. In order to contribute to the improvement of the current knowledge on the organization of the genus at different taxonomic levels, several populations were investigated by analysing 16S rDNA, COI and ITS2 gene partial sequences. Phylogenetic reconstructions were obtained by the Maximum Likelihood algorithm. Although further studies are needed, preliminary data suggest that the genus Medora shows a much more complex and articulate differentiation than hypothesized so far.

  • Biodiversity Journal, 3 (3): 251-258

    Maria Stella Colomba, Agatino Reitano, Fabio Liberto, Salvatore Giglio, Armando Gregorini & Ignazio Sparacio
    Additional data on the genus Muticaria Lindholm, 1925 with description of a new species (Gastropoda Pulmonata Clausiliidae)

    ABSTRACT
    Morphological analysis and molecular genetic studies conducted on the genus Muticaria Lindholm, 1925 (Pulmonata Clausiliidae) in Sicily allowed to identify a new species which is described in the present paper.

  • Biodiversity Journal, 2 (2): 073-084

    Maria Stella Colomba & Armando Gregorini
    Genetic diversity analysis of the durum wheat Graziella Ra, Triticum turgidum L. subsp. durum (Desf.) Husn. (Poales, Poaceae)

    ABSTRACT
    For the first time, the durum wheat Graziella Ra was compared to four Italian durum wheat varieties (Cappelli, Grazia, Flaminio and Svevo) and to Kamut in order to preliminary characterize its genome and to investigate genetic diversity among and within the accessions by Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs), Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) and α-gliadin gene sequence analysis. The main aim of the study was an attempt to determine the relationship between the historic accession Graziella Ra and Kamut which is considered an ancient relative of the durum subspecies. In addition, nutritional factors of Graziella Ra were reported. Obtained results showed that (i) both AFLP and SSR molecular markers detected highly congruent patterns of genetic diversity among the accessions showing nearly similar efficiency; (ii) for AFLPs, percentage of polymorphic loci within accession ranged from 6.57% to 19.71% (mean 12.77%) and, for SSRs, from 0% to 57.14% (mean 28.57%); (iii) principal component analysis (PCA) of genetic distance among accessions showed the first two axes accounting for 58.03% (for AFLPs) and 61.60% (for SSRs) of the total variability; (iv) for AFLPs, molecular variance was partitioned into 80% (variance among accessions) and 20% (within accession) and, for SSRs, into 73% (variance among accessions) and 27% (within accession); (v) cluster analysis of AFLP and SSR datasets displayed Graziella Ra and Kamut into the same cluster; and (vi) molecular comparison of α-gliadin gene sequences showed Graziella Ra and Kamut in separate clusters. All these findings indicate that Graziella Ra, although being very similar to Kamut, at least in the little part of the genome herein investigated by molecular markers, may be considered a distinct accession showing appreciable levels of genetic diversity and medium-high nutritional qualities.

  • Biodiversity Journal, 1: 007-014

    Maria Stella Colomba, Armando Gregorini, Fabio Liberto, Agatino Reitano, Salvatore Giglio & Ignazio Sparacio
    Molecular analysis of Muticaria syracusana and M. neuteboomi from Southeastern Sicily, Italy (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Clausiliidae)

    ABSTRACT
    The genus Muticaria Lindholm, 1925, is currently distributed either in Southeastern Sicily or in the Maltese islands and comprises the species M. syracusana (Philippi, 1836), M. neuteboomi Beckmann, 1990 and M. macrostoma (Cantraine, 1835). For the first time, we report a molecular study on the topotypicous populations of M. syracusana and M. neuteboomi carried out on fragments of the ribosomal 16S rDNA subunit and the cytochrome oxydase I (COI) mitochondrial genes by Neighbour Joining, Maximum Likelihood, Maximum Parsimony and Bayesian Inference algorithms. Our results revealed the existence of nucleotide-sequence divergence (Dxy: 5% for 16S rDNA and 12% for COI sequences) between the two taxa.

  • Biodiversity Journal, 10 (4): 517-526 - MONOGRAPH

    Maria Stella Colomba, Armando Gregorini, David P. Cilia, Fabio Liberto, Agatino Reitano & Ignazio Sparacio
    Molecular studies on the genus Muticaria Lindholm, 1925 (Pulmonata, Clausiliidae) from the Maltese Islands
    https://doi.org/10.31396/Biodiv.Jour.2019.10.4.517.526

    ABSTRACT
    The present study has been carried out with focus on Muticaria macrostoma group from the Maltese Islands to characterize and define, from a molecular standpoint, their identity and relationships with topotypical Sicilian Muticaria (i.e. M. syracusana, M. neuteboomi, M. cyclopica and M. brancatoi). Molecular study included amplification of 16S rDNA (ca. 300 bp) and COI (ca. 700 bp) gene partial sequences which were used for single and combined gene analysis by Bayesian Inference to achieve the phylogenetic reconstructions with the highest posterior probabilities. Obtained results showed that, within M. macrostoma group, the taxa mamotica and oscitans can be elevated to the specific rank, thus bringing to three the Maltese Muticaria species, i.e. M. macrostoma, M. mamotica, and M. oscitans; whereas scalaris may be considered a subspecies, or even a synonim. Present findings confirmed the validity of the Sicilian species M. syracusana, M. neuteboomi, M. cyclopica and M. brancatoi. Furthermore, the populations of the Sicilian and Maltese Muticaria seem to belong to two different levels of differentiation. Finally, we have also examined some Lampedusa populations but the position of this genus still remains to be clarified. In particular, it is confirmed that Lampedusa and Muticaria are different genera, but at present, the relations within the Lampedusa group need further studies to be analysed in details.