Mucronaria (Mucronaria) kartvelica, Mumladze & Grego & Szekeres, 2023

Mumladze, Levan, Grego, Jozef & Szekeres, Miklos, 2023, The land snail family Clausiliidae (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Stylommatophora) in Georgia: overview, novel records and a new species, Caucasiana 2, pp. 29-61 : 29

Mucronaria (Mucronaria) kartvelica sp. n.

Figures 10 , 11 , 12A

Differential diagnosis.

The reduced, diffuse palatal plicae and the less elongate shell shape distinguish the new species from members of the subgenus Mucronaria (Index) Boettger, 1877 and position it in the subgenus Mucronaria (Mucronaria) Boettger, 1877. Mucronaria (M.) kartvelica sp. n. differs from all other species of its subgenus by the slender and strongly costate shell. By contrast, Mucronaria (M.) acuminata has ventricose shell with glossy, densely striate surface and very weak lamella superior, Mucronaria (M.) duboisi has strong, to the peristome margin extended lamella inferior and long, well outlined palatal plicae, whereas Mucronaria (M.) strauchi (Boettger, 1878) is less elongate, more densely costate, and its ribs are more widely spaced on the neck than on the rest of the last whorl.

Type locality.

Georgia, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti Region, at the Kvedi 1 Cave 2.2 km ESE of Kvedi village, N42.5561°, E43.5721°; 1510 m.

Type material.

Type locality; 14.10.2021; leg. JG-MS, holotype (ISUTM-T003-H); paratypes (FMNH 392791/1, HNHM 105342/1, MNHN-IM-2014-7037/1, NHMUK 20220496/1, NHMW-MO-113737/1, SMF 368736/1, UF 580908/1, ZMH-MOL-0141473/1, JG/4, MS/3). Georgia, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti Region, at the Kvedi 2 Cave, 2 km ESE of Kvedi village, 42.5561°, E43.5691°; 1560 m; 14.10.2021; leg. JG-MS, paratypes (ISUTM-T003-P1/1, SMF 368737/1, JG/15, MS/9).

Further material.

Georgia, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti Region, at the Kvedi 2 Cave 2 km ESE of Kvedi village, 42.5561°, E43.5691°; 1560 m; leg. EC-JG-LM-MO-MS 12.09.2022 (ISU, JG, MS) .

Description.

The brownish-corneous, slender spindle-shaped shell consists of 12.3 to 13.5 whorls. The apical part is elongate, its tip is pointed. The teleochonch whorls have strong and sharp ribs (25 to 28 on the last whorl), which become bulkier but not more widely spaced behind the aperture. The last whorl becomes narrower toward the base, which has a prominent basal crest. The relatively small aperture is oval to somewhat diamond-shaped, its wide peristome is slightly projected. The thin, weakly emerged lamella superior reaches the margin of the peristome. Inward it converges slightly toward the lamella inferior and terminates well before reaching the lamella spiralis, which starts ventrally and ends dorsally. The lamella inferior ends high and deep, its terminal part is only barely visible in apertural view of the shell. Ending even deeper, the lamella subcolumellaris cannot be viewed through the aperture. The plica principalis spans one third of the last whorl starting from the lateral side. The well discernable, dorsolaterally positioned upper plica runs close and parallel to it. Farther toward the base there are two or three lump-like reduced plicae, and a stronger and larger but also diffuse, callus-like basal plica. The broad clausilium plate widens before ending abruptly in a short, pointed tip. In some of the specimens its parietal margin is visible in oblique view through the aperture.

Dimensions

(in mm): Shell height: 12.4-13.9 (holotype 12.9), spire width: 2.8-3.1 (holotype 2.9), aperture height: 2.4-2.6 (holotype 2.5), aperture width: 1.9-2.1 (holotype 2.0).

Anatomy.

Unknown.

Habitat.

Live individuals of Mucronaria (M.) kartvelica sp. n. were found on shaded limestone cliffs and among weeds (primarily Hedera helix ) growing on those cliffs (Figure 11A-B ), accompanied by Acrotoma (Iliamneme) baryshnikovi , Elia (Megaleuxina) derasa , Mentissoidea rupicola and Mucronaria (M.) duboisi .

Etymology.

The name of the new species refers to its occurrence in Sa-kartvelo (native historic name for Georgia).

Remark.

Whereas Mucronaria (M.) duboisi is one of the widest distributed clausiliids in the Caucasus region, reaching as far as Turkey's Sinop Province toward west and northern Iran toward east, all the other species of the subgenus Mucronaria (Mucronaria) are endemic to Georgia.

Figures

Figure 10. Mucronaria (Mucronaria) kartvelica sp. n., holotype (ISUTM-T 003 - H). Scale bar: 3 mm.

Figure 11. The habitat (A) and a live individual (B) of Mucronaria (Mucronaria) kartvelica sp. n.

Figure 12. Occurrence records of Mucronaria (Mucronaria) kartvelica sp. n. (A), Mucronaria (M.) strauchi (B) and Mucronaria (Index) index (C). Symbols are as in Figure 2.