A central goal of evolutionary biology is the understanding of the processes that result in morphological and genetic diversity. Land snails were often used as model organisms for evaluating the roles of selection and history in the origins of biodiversity (Davison 2002). In particular notable are the classical studies of Cepaea that nicely illustrated the action and effects of natural select…
To understand the processes that result in morphological and genetic diversity, we studied the differentiation of the land snails Eremina d. desertorum and Eremina desertorum irregularis in the deserts of northern Egypt. These two taxa are differentiated with regard to shell size and shape and are separated by a narrow hybrid zone west of Alexandria. The lack of differences in the genitalia…