Xeropicta, MONTEROSATO, 1892

Hausdorf, Bernhard & Sauer, Jan, 2009, Revision of the Helicellinae of Crete (Gastropoda: Hygromiidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 157 (2), pp. 373-419 : 406

XEROPICTA MONTEROSATO, 1892

Xeropicta Monterosato, 1892: 24 . Type species (by monotypy): Helix (Helicella) krynickii Krynicki, 1833 .

Diagnosis: Xeropicta is characterized by a symmetrical dart apparatus consisting of two small dart sacs, long accessory sacs that rise above the proximal end of the dart sacs, and four branched glandulae mucosae around the vagina, and a longish appendix at the base of the penis. The inner structure of the genitalia has been described in detail by Schileyko (1978). The penis is innervated from the right cerebral ganglion.

XEROPICTA KRYNICKII ( KRYNICKI, 1833)

( FIGS 10E , 11B , 12B; TABLES 1, 15, AND 16)

Helix (Helicella) Krynickii Krynicki, 1833: 434 . Locus typicus: ‘inter montes calcareos Tauriae (Sevastopoly, Inkermany. Shulya)’, Ukraine.

Helix (Pseudoxerophila) proteus – Westerlund & Blanc, 1879: 59.

Helix (Pseudoxerophila) krynicki – Westerlund & Blanc, 1879: 60.

Helicopsis (Xeropicta) krynickii – Vardinoyannis, 1994: 86, 88, 131, map 46.

Diagnosis: Xeropicta krynickii is characterized by a depressed conical shell with incised spiral striae, a narrow, eccentric umbilicus, and a moderately long flagellum.

Shell ( Fig. 11B ; Table 1): Depressed conical; with 5–5.5 convex whorls; teleoconch with growth ridges and fine incised spiral striae; upper whorls usually with fine ribs; whitish, with or without brown bands that might be fused or break up into spots; body whorl rounded or with a blunt edge at the beginning; aperture almost circular; upper insertion of the peristome hardly or distinctly descending; peristome sharp, not expanded, with a whitish internal rib; umbilicus narrow, strongly enlarged by the body whorl, not obscured by the columellar edge.

Genitalia ( Fig. 10E ; Tables 15 and 16): See diagnosis of the genus. A more detailed description of the genitalia has been given by Schileyko (1978).

Distribution ( Fig. 12B ): Xeropicta krynickii is distributed from the southern Balkan Peninsula and the Aegean region, around the Pontic region, eastwards to Astrachan and Iran, and along the Mediterranean southwards to Egypt, and to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. It was probably introduced into Crete by man, and it is continuing to spread, not only on Crete, but also on mainland Greece.

Figures

Figure 10. Helicellinae from Crete: genitalia. Scale bar: 1 mm. A, Xerocrassa rhithymna sp. nov., Moni Arkadiou, 3 km towards Thronos (holotype; ZMH 51067). B, Xerocrassa siderensis (Maltzan, 1883), Vai Finikodasos (ZMH 29445). C, Xerocrassa subvariegata (Maltzan, 1883), Chania, towards Rethimnon, at branch towards Souda (ZMH 29318). D, Trochoidea pyramidata (Draparnaud, 1805), Ierapetra, 6 km towards Makrigialos (ZMH 36466). E, Xeropicta krynickii (Krynicki, 1833), Limni Kourna (ZMH 29778). F, Pseudoxerophila bathytera (Westerlund & Blanc, 1879), Sikologos, 2 km towards Mirtos (ZMH 29524).

Figure 11. Helicellinae from Crete: shells. A, Trochoidea pyramidata (Draparnaud, 1805), Ierapetra, 6 km towards Makrigialos (ZMH 36466). B, Xeropicta krynickii (Krynicki, 1833), Limni Kourna (ZMH 29778). C, Pseudoxerophila bathytera (Westerlund & Blanc, 1879), Hagioi Pantés [syntype of Helix bathytera Westerlund & Blanc; NMGW]. D, Pseudoxerophila bathytera (Westerlund & Blanc, 1879), Mount Jouchtas [syntype of Helix suspecta Westerlund; NMGW]. E, Pseudoxerophila bathytera (Westerlund & Blanc, 1879), Ierapetra (syntype of Helix hierapetrana Maltzan; ZMB 39561). F, Pseudoxerophila bathytera (Westerlund & Blanc, 1879), Moni Toplou [syntype of Helix sitiensis Maltzan; ZMB 39576]. Scale bar: 5 mm for A; 10 mm for D–F.

Figure 12. Distribution of Helicellinae on Crete (UTM grid, 10-km squares): •, records for which vouchers have been checked; -, records from the literature. A, Trochoidea pyramidata (Draparnaud, 1805). B, Xeropicta krynickii (Krynicki, 1833). C, Pseudoxerophila bathytera (Westerlund & Blanc, 1879). D, Pseudoxerophila oertzeni (Maltzan, 1887). E, Xeromunda candiota (L. Pfeiffer, 1849). F, Xerotricha apicina (Lamarck, 1822). G, Xerotricha conspurcata (Draparnaud, 1801). H, Microxeromagna lowei (Potiez & Michaud, 1835). I, Cernuella (Cernuella) virgata (Da Costa, 1778).