Descriptions of new and little-known land snail taxa from Turkey, and establishment of a new genus (Gastropoda, Pulmonata: Lauriidae, Enidae and Vitrinidae)
Author
Ruud, A. Bank
Author
Henk P. M. G Menkhorst
Author
Eike Neubert
text
Basteria
2016
80
1
5
30
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.439745
e7d164f6-b22c-4120-b1f6-6464cfc6de0b
00056219
439745
Megavitrina libanica
(
Germain, 1911
)
(
Figs 22-23
)
Vitrina libanica
Germain, 1911
: 31
-32. Type locality: "Je dois à M. P. Pallary la connaissance de cette espèce recueillie par le Frère Louis, dans la chaîne du Liban. L’indication précise de la localité ne m’a pas été fournie".
Vitrina libanica
var.
hidachariyensis
Germain, 1911
: 32
. Type locality: "Marette à Hidachariyé, près de Damas, entre 650 et 700 mètres d’altitude [H. Gadeau de Kerville]".
Vitrina libanica
–
Germain, 1912
: 441.
Vitrina libanica
–
Germain, 1921
: 13, 34, 82-83 ("découverte par le Frère Louis en divers points de la chaîne du Liban où elle paraît rare ...... Aramoun, Fareit, Hakel et Fédar-Foha".
Vitrina libanica
–
Germain, 1922
: 176, pl. 5 figs 7-9 ("Aramoun").
Vitrina libanica
–
Tohmé & Tohmé, 1988
: 70-71 ("sous les oliviers de Haqel à 800 m d‘altitude"; "Assez commune dans la région de Jbeïl, au Kesrouane et au Chouf surtout dans les oliveraies“).
Remarks. –
Tohmé & Tohmé (1988)
claimed that this species is common in several localities in the central part of Lebanon. One of the authors (Neubert) visited the country in 2008 and 2011, aiming to collect
M.
libanica
in order to clarify its taxonomic position.
These attempts failed as no specimens were found, although all localites mentioned by Thomé & Thomé were visited. This failure is not simply an artifact caused by visits during summer time (we assume the animals to be active during the humid winter season). In none of the many localities visited all over the country, not even a trace of a shell could be found! This signalizes that we are dealing with a massive decline of the populations of this enigmatic species during the last 30 years, at least.
Figs 21-23.
Megavitrina
from Turkey and Lebanon.
21
,
Megavitrina imperatoria
spec. nov.
, holotype NMBE 548324 (D = 16.2 mm), Turkey, Vil. Adıyaman, under rocks on top of the Nemrud Dağ, 2150 m.
22-23
,
Megavitrina libanica
(Germain, 1911)
, MNHN (D = 15.3 mm), labelled as “Beyrouth?”. All photographs Bochud & Neubert, × 5.
The species has also been reported from Syria by
Germain (1911: 32)
under the variety name
hi-
dachariyensis
. Remarkably, neither the variety name nor the locality was mentioned by
Germain (1921: 82- 83)
. We have not found its type locality “Hidachariyé” on any studied map.