LAUSR

The phylogenetic relationships among Tirmania were investigated using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and large subunit (LSU) regions of the nuclear-encoded ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and compared with morphological and bioclimatic data. The combined analyses of forty-one Tirmania samples from Algeria and Spain supported four lineages corresponding to four morphological species. Besides the two previously described taxa, Tirmania pinoyi and Tirmania nivea, here we describe and illustrate a new species, Tirmania sahariensis sp. nov., which differs from all other Tirmania by its distinct phylogenetic position and its specific combination of morphological features. We also present a first record of Tirmania honrubiae from North Africa (Algeria). Our findings suggest that restrictions imposed by the bioclimatic niche have played a key role in driving the speciation process of Tirmania along the Mediterranean and Middle East.