Land snail diversity in the monsoon tropics of Northern Australia: revision of the genus Exiligada Iredale, 1939 (Mollusca: Pulmonata: Camaenidae), with description of 13 new species
Author
Criscione, Francesco
Author
Law, Margot Louisa
Author
Köhler, Frank
text
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
2012
Zool. J. Linn. Soc.
2012-11-26
166
4
689
722
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.2012.00863.x
journal article
10.1111/j.1096-3642.2012.00863.x
0024-4082
5409181
AC086999-76A8-4F93-9A51-5B5B213A50E6
EXILIGADA RIVIFONTIS
SP. NOV.
(
FIGS 4I
,
6F
,
23D–E
,
25
)
Holotype
:
AUSTRALIA
,
NT
,
VRD
,
30.4 km
east-southeast of
Spring Creek Station
H
/S, limestone gully along a stream, cliffs
8–10 m
high, base of limestone cliffs along a seasonal stream, talus, spinifex and native grass, in talus.
17°02
′
04
′′
S
,
129°08
′
35
′′
E
(coll.
V. Kessner
, R. Hokkanen,
30.viii.2009
;
WA-67
/09) (
WAM
S83176).
Figure 21.
Penial anatomy of
E. pallida
sp. nov.
(holotype WAM
S83174
). Scale bar = 5 mm.
Figure 22.
Penial anatomy of
E. punctata
sp. nov.
(holotype WAM
S83175
). Scale bar = 5 mm.
(
17°04
′
32
′′
S
,
129°00
′
10
′′
E
). The species is removed from the synonymy of
E. negriensis
. Together with
E. nodulicauda
it has the narrowest umbilicus in the genus. Teleoconch microsculpture is unique in being composed of regularly arranged microdepressions rather than micropustulations. Shell colour pattern not easily distinguished from
E. brabyi
. Penis length
Paratypes
:
Same data as for
holotype
, four wet (WAM
S49224
).
Other material:
AUSTRALIA
,
NT
,
VRD
,
28.2 km
east of
Spring Creek Station
H/S, base of limestone cliffs
15–20 m
or higher, large overhangs, in talus and under boulders,
17°00
′
44
′′
S
,
129°07
′
35
′′
E
(coll.
V. Kessner
,
R. Hokkanen
,
30.viii.2009
;
WA-66
/09), three wet (
WAM
S49225
);
30.4 km
east-south-east of
Spring Creek Station
H/S, limestone gully along a stream, cliffs
8–10 m
high, base of limestone cliffs along a seasonal stream, spinifex and native grass, in talus,
17°02
′
04
′′
S
,
129°08
′
35
′′
E
(coll.
V. Kessner
,
R. Hokkanen
,
30.viii.2009
;
WA-67
/09), three dry (
WAM
S94141
)
;
AUSTRALIA
,
WA
,
EK
,
1.7 km
south of
Behn River
crossing, limestone ridge west of
Duncan Hwy
, east large open limestone ridge, very small vine thicket patches, dead in rock piles,
16°35
′
48
′′
S
,
128°57
′
10
′′
E
(coll.
V. Kessner
,
R. Hokkanen
,
27.viii.2009
;
WA-54
/09), five dry (
WAM
S49140
);
12.3 km
east of
Spring Creek Station
H
/S, low exposed hills with small 2–3-m-high limestone cliffs east of
Duncan Hwy
, spinifex, few fig trees, dead under talus,
16°59
′
57
′′
S
,
128°58
′
34
′′
E
(coll.
V. Kessner
,
R. Hokkanen
,
30.viii.2009
;
WA-70
/09), one dry (
WAM
S49142
);
Halls Creek District
,
57 km
east of
Nicholson Station
H
/S, very open limestone area, well-developed spinifex, talus under spinifex,
17°58
′
43
′′
S
,
128°21
′
34
′′
E
(coll.
V. Kessner
,
R. Hokkanen
1.ix.2009
;
WA-75
/09), two dry (
WAM
S49143
)
.
Etymology:
In reference to Spring Creek, close to
type
locality, Latinized and derived from ‘rivus’ (Latin = creek) and ‘fons’ (Latin = spring), nouns of respectively masculine and feminine gender in genitive case.
Description:
Shell (
Figs 4I
,
6F
,
23D, E
). Large, strongly elevated, moderately thin; micropustulations present. Shell background colour brown horn fading to whitish towards shell base, with one faint to conspicuous continuous narrow brown-reddish spiral band on whorl periphery; maculations absent.
Figure 23.
SEM micrographs of
Exiligada
shells. A-C,
E. qualis
Iredale, 1939
(paratype AM C.64915). A, Apical view showing protoconch and first whorl. B, Close-up from above of sculpture across entire shell. C, Microsculpture on teleoconch whorl. D-F,
E.rivifontis
sp. nov.
(WAM
S49141
). D, Apical view showing protoconch and first whorl. E, Close-up from above of sculpture across entire shell. F, Microsculpture on teleoconch whorl. Scale bars: A-B, D-E = 1 mm, C, F = 0.5 mm.
Genitalia (
Fig. 25
). Epiphallus two times longer than penis. Vas deferens entering penial sheath from one third up. Penis three times longer than wide, not coiled inside sheath, with inner wall supporting several moderately large, irregularly shaped longitudinal pilasters, often not running along entire wall length. Vagina two times shorter than penis and free oviduct, bursa copulatrix with short, rounded welldifferentiated end.
Remarks:
Highest shell, largest shell diameter, and largest number of shell whorls (together with
E. gregoriana
and
E. rivifontis
) within genus. Colour pattern very similar to
E. calciphila
,
E. floraevallis
,
E. gregoriana
,
E. limbunya
, and
E. unistriata
. Penis length relative to width (pl/pw) smaller than the average and
E. rivifontis
; epiphallus length relative to penis (el/pl) 1.5 times the average and as large as in
E. floraevallis
. Penial inner wall sculpture very similar to
E. floraevallis
and not easily distinguishable. Vagina length relative to penis (vl/pl) average and as large as in
E. floraevallis
, vagina length relative to free oviduct (vl/ol) smaller than average and
E. floraevallis
.