Clarification of the controversy around the problematic species “Eophila gestroi” (Cognetti, 1905) in the Balkan

Abstract

The taxonomy and phylogeny of the Southern Alpine species Eophila gestroi (Cognetti, 1905) can be confusing. The main reason for this is the morphological similarity of this species with the Vardar endemic species Cernosvitovia strumicae (Šapkarev, 1973). The confirmation of the identification of our findings based on morphological characters, previous molecular phylogenetic analyses, and biogeographical analysis revealed the misidentification of C. strumicae in earlier studies. Identifying this species is essential in clarifying earthworms' confusing taxonomic and phylogenetic position on the Balkan Peninsula.