A new genus and eight new species of tail-wagger snails from eastern South Africa, with a key to genera within Sheldonia s. l. (Gastropoda: Urocyclidae) Author Herbert, David G. text European Journal of Taxonomy 2017 2017-04-10 309 1 50 journal article 22144 10.5852/ejt.2017.309 4e7bcd4d-1cdb-45cf-b2c3-54da2466f171 2118-9773 3827189 1E8FE779-D6E7-428E-9538-5E5F8ECFB271 Genus Kerkophorus Godwin-Austen, 1912 Kerkophorus Godwin-Austen, 1912a: 127 . Type species (original designation) Zingis inuncta Melvill & Ponsonby, 1899 . ? Andrarion Godwin-Austen, 1912b: 582 . Type species (monotypy) Andrarion pumilio Melvill & Ponsonby, 1909 . Fig. 1. Illustrations of characters mentioned in key to genera within Sheldonia s.l . A . Kerkophorus vittarubra sp. nov. , epiphallus, caecum and flagellum (paratype, NMSA V4725/T4062). B . Microkerkus burnupi ( Godwin-Austen, 1914 ) , epiphallus and caecum (NMSA W3660). C . Sheldonia fingolandensis sp. nov. , epiphallus, caecum and flagellum (paratype, NMSA W4169/T3385). D . Ptilototheca soutpansbergensis Herbert, 2016 , epiphallus, caecum and flagellum (paratype, NMSA P0304/T4060). E . Ptilototheca soutpansbergensis , spermatophore (paratype, NMSA W2259/T4067). F . Kerkophorus poeppigii (Pfeiffer, 1846) , spermatophore (NMSA W4911). G . Microkerkus arnotti (Benson, 1864) , spermatophore (NMSA W6082). H . Sheldonia capsula (Benson, 1864) , spermatophore, arrow indicates short, stout projections on both sides of the subterminal region of the tail, enlarged in inset (NMSA W4686). I . Selatodryas luteosoma gen. et sp. nov. , spermatophore, arrow indicates non-spinose distal portion of tail (paratype, NMSA W9691/T3874). Remarks Kerkophorus includes both arboreal and ground-dwelling species exhibiting relatively diverse shell morphology and considerable variation in the form of the male distal genitalia. The shells may be glossy or lustreless, lenticular to sub-globose, uniformly coloured, bicoloured or peripherally banded, and the genital atrium may or may not be enlarged and possess a fleshy stimulator. In general, however, all have a non-punctate protoconch, a rimate umbilicus, a relatively short epiphallus and the caecum is large and elongate, arising very close to the insertion of the penial retractor muscle. In addition, the spermatophore usually has a single tail, its spines are antler-like, terminating in deeply V-shaped bifurcations, with slender, pointed tips, and the spineless distal portion of the tail is relatively short and lacks lateral projections. However, some of these characters are not without exception and in reality Kerkophorus itself almost certainly encompasses a number of distinct sub-lineages, as exemplified by Kerkophorus s.s . (arboreal, lenticular), K. puzeyi ( Connolly, 1939 ) and K. scrobicolus sp. nov. (arboreal with bifid spermatophore tail), K. poeppigii (Pfeiffer, 1846) (ground-dwelling, sub-globose) and K. perlevis (ground-dwelling, lenticular), and probably others (cf. K. terrestris sp. nov. , below). In Microkerkus Godwin-Austen, 1912 , which Watson (1934) and Connolly (1939) considered a synonym of Kerkophorus , the epiphallus is much longer and the caecum is small, globose rather than elongate, and it is situated closer to the middle of the epiphallus, rather than adjacent to the insertion of the penial retractor muscle. In addition, the tail of the spermatophore is bifid in Microkerkus . Godwin-Austen (1912b) provided very limited data to support his taxon Andrarion and it remains poorly known. Like Watson (1934) , I believe that it may have been based on juvenile specimens of a species of Kerkophorus (Herbert 2016) and I consider that it is best treated as a synonym thereof.