Rhytidoid land snails collected in 2007 at 21 sites in northern Madagascar, with descriptions of 13 new species and two new subspecies (Gastropoda, Rhytidoidea: Acavidae and Clavatoridae)
Authors: K.C. Emberton, J.A. RakotondrazafyBasteria, 84 (4/6): 170-209
Abstract
Collections in 2007 of 634 stations at 21 sites in northern Madagascar yielded 35 species and subspecies of rhytidoid land snails: Ampelita akoratsara akoratsara Emberton, 1999, A. akoratsara paulayi subspec. nov., A. analamerae Emberton, 1999, A. andavakoerae spec. nov., A. anjajaviensis spec. nov., A. atropos (Deshayes, 1850), A. capdambrae spec. nov., A. celestinae spec. nov., A. clotho (Deshayes, 1850), A. consanguinea (Deshayes, 1850), A. ela spec. nov., A. gaudens (Mabille, 1884), A. granulosa (Deshayes, 1850), A. kendrae spec. nov., A. kirae spec. nov., A. lachesis (Deshayes, 1850), A. lamarei lamarei (L. Pfeiffer, 1846), A. lamarei sakalava (Angas, 1878), A. lincolni spec. nov., A. masoalae Emberton, 1999, A. michellae spec. nov., A. miovaova spec. nov., A. niarae spec. nov., A. stilpna (Mabille, 1884), A. thompsoni spec. nov., Eurystyla ambatoensis (Emberton & Griffiths, 2009), E. julii julii (Fischer-Piette & Garreau, 1965), E. julii kely subspec. nov., E. julii soa (Emberton & Griffith, 2009), Paraclavator moreleti (Deshayes, 1851), Embertoniphanta amphibulima (L. Pfeiffer, 1847), E. echinophora (Deshayes, 1850), E. oviformis (Grateloup, 1840), E. josephinae spec. nov., and E. socii (Fischer-Piette, F. Blanc & Salvat, 1975).
Live adults of 17, and tissue samples of 22, of these 35 taxa were collected. The new species bring Madagascar’s total described rhytidoid species to 135. More await discovery, both within Madagascar’s forests and within extensive, unidentified collections from 1995-1996.
Discoveries include: (a) the hairy-shelled Embertoniphanta echinophora has a broad rainforest distribution and has an isolated, deciduous-forest, sister species, E. josephinae spec. nov.; (b) the gigantic (shell height 91.7 mm), micro-endemic Embertoniphanta socii is effectively absent from northern Ankarana; (c) the Eurystyla radiation is much more extensive than previously imagined; (d) southern Namoroka Reserve is not the home of its namesake Ampelita namerokoensis Fischer-Piette, 1952 (described from Bemaraha, far to the south!), but of A. thompsoni spec. nov.; (e) A. miovaova spec. nov., as proposed, is one of the most conchologically variable species of land snails; (f) A. lincolni spec. nov. is now the largest known Ampelita (73.5 mm diameter).