Revision of ‘ Horatia’ snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae sensu lato) from South Caucasus with description of two new genera
Author
Vinarski, Maxim V.
Museum of Siberian Aquatic Molluscs, Omsk State Pedagogical University, Omsk, Russian Federation;
Author
Palatov, Dmitry M.
Department of Hydrobiology, Biological Faculty, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russian Federation;
Author
Glöer, Peter
Biodiversity Research Laboratory, Hetlingen, Germany
text
Journal of Natural History
2014
J. Nat. Hist.
2014-05-29
48
37 - 38
2237
2253
https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/1fb8d12d-8ca7-3e1e-b45f-1432561ada37/
journal article
10.1080/00222933.2014.917210
1464-5262
5194243
4EDFB2AE-CB1D-4113-8CC7-3A1BBB46D838
Genus
Motsametia
gen. nov.
Type
species
Horatia borutzkii
Shadin, 1923
Diagnosis
Shell very small (up to
1.5 mm
in height), ovate-conical (valvatoid), with relatively large rounded aperture. Whorls (up to 3.5) convex, separated by a deep suture. Surface of protoconch is covered by small and densely situated honeycomb-like pits. Surface of teleoconch covered by rather rough growth lines. Umbilicus deep and narrow, funnel-like. Operculum unknown. Penis slender, elongated, slightly swollen in its middle part. Its lobe situated about 1/3 of the penis length is thin and slim tapered.
Etymology
The name is derived from the Motsameta (‘Martyrdom’) Monastery in Kutaisi (
Georgia
) located near the locus typicus of the single species of this genus. Gender – female.
Figure 7. Shells of
Motsametia
and
Pontohoratia
. (A, B)
Pontohoratia birsteini
comb. nov.
, Tsebeldinskaya Cave; (C)
Pontohoratia birsteini
comb. nov.
, Niznheshakuranskaya Cave; (D)
Pontohoratia smyri
, holotype (Novoafonskaya Cave); (E)
Motsametia borutzkii
, topotype (Tskhal-Tsiteli Cave). Scale bars 300 μm.
Figure 8. Habitats of
Horatia
-like snails in the caves of the South Caucasus. Left – Nizhneshakuranskaya Cave, right – Tskhal-Tsiteli Cave.
Differential diagnosis
Conchologically, snails of the genus
Motsametia
are similar to species belonging to the genera
Horatia
sensu
Bodon et al. (2001)
and
Pontohoratia
gen. nov.
The differences between
Motsametia
and
Horatia
lie in the form and proportions of a penial lobe (short and obtuse in
Horatia
, thin and slim tapered in
Motsametia
). The differences between
Motsametia
and
Pontohoratia
lie in different penis morphology (simple penis without penial lobes in
Pontohoratia
; penis with a single penial lobe in
Motsametia
). In addition, the aperture shape in
Pontohoratia
is angular, whereas in
Motsametia
it is almost regularly round.
Distribution and species content
The genus is endemic to South Caucasus (Transcaucasia) and includes the only species:
M. borutzkii
(Shadin)
that is still known from its
type
locality only. The diagnostic characters of the species coincide with those of the genus. This is a rheophilic species found in underground brooks and springs. The stygobiont community of this cave was partially described by
Birstein (1933)
. Besides
Motsametia
, it includes several endemic species of crustaceans:
Niphargus borutzkyi
Birstein, 1933
(Niphargidae)
,
Troglocaris (Xiphocaridinella) kutaissiana
(Sadovsky, 1930) (Atyidae)
, and
Asellus monticola fontinalis
Birstein, 1936 (Asellidae)
.
Table 4
provides a morphological comparison of the two genera described here with other taxa of stygobiont valvatiform hydrobiids living in the South European region.
Table 4. Comparative morphological characteristics of certain stygobiont genera of valvati-
form hydrobiids occurring in the southern part of Europe.