Caucasocressa ibera, Hausdorf, 2003

Hausdorf, Bernhard, 2003, Revision of the genus Caucasocressa from the eastern Pontic Region (Gastropoda: Hygromiidae), Journal of Natural History 37 (21), pp. 2627-2646 : 2634-2635

Caucasocressa ibera sp. n.

(figures 2, 6)

Helix (Campylaea) pratensis, Mousson, 1873: 201 [non L. Pfeiffer, 1846a].

Helix pratensis var. depressa Kobelt, 1877: 31 , pl. 127, figure 1226 [non Moquin-Tandon, 1855]. Type locality: ‘ Borschom’ . Georgia .

Helix (Fruticocampylaea) Eichwaldi, Schneider, 1878: 14 , 21 [partim, non L. Pfeiffer, 1846b].

Helix (Fruticocampylaea) pratensis, O. Boettger, 1889: 15 [partim, non L. Pfeiffer, 1846a].

Helix (Fruticocampylaea) pratensis mut. unicingulata O. Boettger, 1889: 15 [non O. Boettger, 1880]. Type locality: ‘ Borshom’ , Georgia .

Helix (Campylaea [ Fruticocampylaea ]) pratensis f. alutacea Westerlund, 1889: 105 [non Paulucci, 1879]. Type locality: ‘ Borjom’ , Georgia .

Helix pratensis, Rosen, 1914: 170 [partim, non L. Pfeiffer, 1846a].

Helix (Fruticocampylaea) pratensis, Retowski, 1914: 290 [partim, non L. Pfeiffer, 1846a].

Helix (Fruticocampylaea) pratensis f. unicingulata Retowski, 1914: 290 [non O. Boettger, 1880]. Type locality: ‘ Borzom’ , Georgia .

Helix (Caucasocressa) pratensis depressa, Lindholm, 1928: 545 .

Fruticocampylaea (Caucasocressa) pratensis , Hesse, 1931: 18, pl. 2, figure 13 [non L. Pfeiffer, 1846a].

Metafruticicola pratensis, Likharev and Rammelmeier, 1952: 467 [partim, non L. Pfeiffer, 1846a].

Metafruticicola pratensis var. depressa, Likharev and Rammelmeier, 1952: 467 .

Metafruticicola (Metafruticicola) pratensis, Hudec and Lezhawa, 1969: 144 , text-figure 33, pl. 10, figure 26 [non L. Pfeiffer, 1846a].

Metafruticicola pratensis, Schileyko, 1972: 16 , figure 3 [non L. Pfeiffer, 1846a].

Caucasocressa pratensis, Schileyko, 1978: 305 , text-figures 412, 413, pl. 18, figure 176 [non L. Pfeiffer, 1846a].

Shell (figure 6). Indistinguishable from C. joannis .

Measurements. Borshomi (N =30); D= 13.5–19.1 mm, B = 16.8 mm; H= 8.0– 11.5 mm, B = 9.8 mm; D/H=1.24–1.90, B =1.71.

Remarks. Caucasocressa ibera differs from the related species in the extraordinarily long flagellum (see table 2). There are no constant conchological differences between C. ibera and C. joannis , but C. ibera differs from most populations of the latter species in the usually wider umbilicus, which takes about 15% of the shell breadth.

This species has been consistently wrongly identified with H. pratensis L. Pfeiffer, 1846 . However, the true H. pratensis from the Tortum valley is a Hessola species (see under C. tortumensis ). There are several additional Caucasian forms which have originally been classified as varieties of H. pratensis sensu auct. Lindholm (1928) had already recognized that some of these forms actually belong to Fruticocampylaea . However, he placed Helix pratensis var. bayerii L. Pfeiffer, 1859 in the synonymy of H. p. pratensis sensu auct. A re-examination of the syntypes of this taxon from ‘Ratscha’ (=Rachinskiy Khrebet=Rachis K’edi) in Georgia (ZMZ 508262; coll. Mousson ex Bayer 1860) has shown that this taxon also belongs to Fruticocampylaea and is probably a senior synonym of F. kobensis (O. Boettger, 1883) . Obviously, other records of H. pratensis sensu auct. from the surroundings of Kutaisi (e.g. Likharev and Rammelmeier, 1952) refer also to Fruticocampylaea kobensis . Lindholm (1928) classified Helix Nymphaea Mousson, 1863 as a form of H. pratensis sensu auct. A re-examination of the syntypes of this taxon from Poti and Nakalakevi (ZMZ 505758, 546092, 546093, 547925) has shown that this taxon belongs to Circassina (Hausdorf, 2001) .

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the occurrence of the species in the land of the ancient tribe Iberi ( ibera used as adjective).

Type locality. Georgia: Borshomi, LM 63 .

Distribution and material (figure 2). C. ibera is known from the Kura valley between Atsquri and Borshomi. All listed specimens are paratypes.

Georgia: Atsquri, LM42 (ZIRAN); Borshomi, LM63 (det. anat.; holotype of C. ibera: ZMH 2896 , measurements: D= 16.5 mm, H= 9.8 mm; syntypes of H. pratensis var. depressa: SMF 6204; holotype of H. pratensis mut. unicingulata: SMF 6203; SMF 73564; 73570, 73575, 101478, 101480, 101481, 101482, 101542, 209101, 285896, 286766, 286767; ZIRAN; ZMH 2897, 2898; ZMZ 508268, 546095, 546098, 546099, 546748).