The first revision of the carnivorous land snail family Streptaxidae in Laos, with description of three new species (Pulmonata, Stylommatophora, Streptaxidae)
Author
Inkhavilay, Khamla
Author
Siriboon, Thanit
Author
Sutcharit, Chirasak
Author
Rowson, Ben
Author
Panha, Somsak
text
ZooKeys
2016
589
23
53
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.589.7933
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.589.7933
1313-2970-589-23
EECEC70CA98343C486A208CD536293EB
Taxon classification Animalia Pulmonata Streptaxidae
Genus
Haploptychius
Moellendorff
, 1906
Haploptychius
Moellendorff
in
Kobelt 1906
: 127.
Zilch 1960
: 562.
Richardson 1988
: 211.
Schileyko 2000
: 796, 797.
Odontartemon (Haploptychius)
-
Thiele 1931
: 730.
Forcart 1946
: 215.
Oophana (Haploptychius)
-
Benthem Jutting 1954
: 76, 95.
Type species.
Streptaxis sinensis
Gould, 1859, by original designation.
Description.
Shell depressed to very distorted, mostly white-hyaline or transparent. Shell surface smooth and glossy or with fine radial ridges. Embryonic shell smooth; following whorls increasing regularly; penultimate whorls slightly to strongly extended beyond body whorl. Last whorl rounded and more or less deviated from the vertical axis. Umbilicus narrowly open and deep. Aperture sub-circular to semi-ovate. Peristome expanded and reflected. Apertural dentition always consisting of a single parietal lamella.
Schileyko (2000)
includes species with a
"smooth"
parietal wall, i.e. without a lamella in
Haploptychius
, but whether such taxa belong in this genus requires further investigation.
Live specimens exhibit a semi-transparent bright yellow body, sometimes with brownish spots; skin reticulated. Upper tentacles yellow to orange, long, with black eye-spot on tip; lower tentacles short. Brownish digestive gland and black kidney may be visible through transparent shell. Foot narrow, undivided and with short tail.
Genitalia with long and slender penis; penial sheath long, about a half to whole length of penis. Internal wall of penis with numerous long and slender penial hooks in
longitudinal
arrangement. Vas deferens passes under penial sheath before connecting apically to penis. Vagina and free oviduct short. Seminal vesicle present, convoluted and short. Vaginal hooks not found.
Remarks.
Currently, the genus
Haploptychius
consists of about 40 nominal species distributed from India to Indochina, south of China and Greater Sunda Islands (
Kobelt 1906
,
Zilch 1961
,
Richardson 1988
,
Schileyko 2000
). Fifteen species were reported from Indochina, of which only three species:
Haploptychius pellucens
(Pfeiffer, 1863),
Haploptychius porrectus
(Pfeiffer, 1863) and
Haploptychius fischeri
(Morlet, 1887) were recorded from Laos (see
Gude 1903
,
Kobelt 1906
,
Schileyko 2011
).
General shell morphology of
Haploptychius
is quite similar to
Oophana
Ancey, 1884 and
Indoartemon
Forcast, 1946. However, it differs in having only a parietal lamella; while
Oophana
usually has parietal, palatal, columellar and basal lamellae, and
Indoartemon
always has parietal and basal lamellae. In addition, the genitalia of
Haploptychius
have a penial sheath extends about a half to entire the penis length, vas deferens passes through penial sheath, and long slender penial hooks. In
Oophana
, the vas deferens enter the penial sheath apically with very short vagina (
Berry 1963
,
Schileyko 2000
); and
Indoartemon
, the vas deferens attached (not pass through) the penial sheath, with small and short penial hooks (
Siriboon et al. 2013
).
Carinartemis
Siriboon & Panha, 2013 resembles
Haploptychius
in having only a parietal lamella. However, it differs from
Haploptychius
in its very sharp peripheral keel and having the last whorl more deviated from the vertical axis. In addition, the genitalia has thick or thin penial sheath, penial hook short and stout, and vaginal hooks present (
Siriboon et al. 2014b
).
The relatively large, distorted heliciform shell and dentition restricted to a parietal lamella clearly differentiate
Haploptychius
from
Discartemon
Pfeiffer, 1856 and
Perrottetia
Kobelt, 1905 (
Schileyko 2000
,
Siriboon et al. 2013
,
2014a
,
b
).