Land snail diversity in central China: revision of Laeocathaica Moellendorff, 1899 (Gastropoda, Camaenidae), with descriptions of seven new species Author Wu, Min https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5434-5544 School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China minwu1969@aliyun.com Author Shen, Wang School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China Author Chen, Zhong-Guang https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2689-3321 Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of Watershed Ecosystem Change and Biodiversity, Center for Watershed Ecology, Institute of Life Science and School of Life Sciences, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330031, China text ZooKeys 2023 2023-03-20 1154 49 147 http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1154.86237 journal article http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1154.86237 1313-2970-1154-49 4E410C2ACC03438F8AC7C5370819DE6C E4F41DD1A11059DAB4A979F00E85D50F Genus Laeocathaica Moellendorff , 1899 Laeocathaica Moellendorff , 1899: 86; Richardson 1983 : 77; Schileyko 2004 : 1686. Type species. Helix (Plectotropis) christinae H. Adams, 1870 (by original designation). Description. Shell sinistral, strongly depressed to broadly conic, moderately solid, of 5-10.5 almost flat whorls. Last whorl abruptly descending in front, angulated to strongly keeled; rarely rounded. Coloration consists of whitish, corneous, or chestnut background and mostly with one or two dark sub-peripheral bands; besides, usually there are several fulvous, diffuse radial streaks. Protoconch usually with fine radial threads and/or fine granules that each is formed by a low hump deposited in a shallow socket. Sculpture of teleoconch whorls varying from fine, silky radial striation to rather strong ribbing; on basal surface below keel or angle this sculpture becomes much weaker. Aperture rounded to peach-shaped, oblique, margins usually more or less reflexed. Within aperture a ring-like thickening present. Apertural teeth absent or with one tuberculiform basal tooth and sometimes with another one on palatal wall. During postembryogenesis several sets of teeth, different from those developed at adult stage in shape and/or number, present and remained to adult stage. Umbilicus moderate to very wide, ratio of umbilicus diameter to maximum diameter 0.21-0.50. Height 3.5-14 mm, maximum diameter 10.0-29.5 mm. On left and right side of mantle edge, no leaf-shaped appendage present. Head wart between ommatophores present, weak, or developed. Jaw arcuate, with 3-8 more or less projecting ribs. Slender vas deferens entering epiphallus at penial retractor muscle insertion. Penis generally clavate, rarely subcylindrical. Penis internally divided into three regions: the proximal part with narrow or thick longitudinal pilasters, among which one pair or two pairs of adjacent pilasters fuse into one Y-shaped fork or two Y-shaped forks (not in Laeocathaica christinae , L. phaeomphala , and L. qingchuanensis Wu, sp. nov.). The median part, composed of fine pilasters that weave into network or covered by isolated tongue-like/diamond-like granules erecting on penial wall. The distal part, near epiphallic opening, with mini-pilasters crowded and forming several short and thick pilasters. Epiphallic papilla absent. Penial sheath always present, surrounding proximal penis. Dart sac always present. Accessory sac presents at ventral dart sac, internally solid or narrowly empty. Mucous glands 2-12, each simply or complicatedly branched, entering accessory sac separately before being united into a common duct inside wall of accessory sac. Proximal section of dart sac with 0-2 PAS that if present, each has a tiny opening leading to dart chamber. Vagina between atrium and dart sac elongated only in a few species. Bursa copulatrix duct subcylindrical throughout (modified from Schileyko 2004 ). Distribution. China: S Gansu, W Hubei, W Shaanxi, Chongqing, Sichuan. Remarks. Laeocathaica species are granulate on the protoconch, which is smooth in actual observation due to erosion or weathering. In the original description of Laeocathaica filippina , Heude (1882) first mentioned the irregular white radiate stripes (1882), which were particularly noted by Moellendorff (1899) as "die stets vorhandenen Jugendlippen (the ever-present juvenile lips)" that joined the definition of Laeocathaica . Moellendorff (1899) also noticed in Euhadra haplozona Moellendorff , 1899 and Euhadra eris Moellendorff , 1899 such "ever-present juvenile lips" exist. The juvenile lips, which have remained on the mature shell, may be frequent and weak such as those of L. minwui Pall-Gergely , 2022 (Fig. 11A ) and many other species, or sparse and strong as those of Laeocathaica dityla (Fig. 13D ) and L. parapolytyla Wu, sp. nov. (Fig. 25 ). Regarding the genital organs, the Y-shaped forks present on the proximal part of inner wall of the penis were observed exclusively in most anatomically studied Laeocathaica species among the Chinese dart-sac-bearing camaenids.