Macrochlamys brunnea Möllendorff, 1902

Pholyotha, Arthit, Sutcharit, Chirasak & Panha, Somsak, 2018, The land snail genus Macrochlamys Gray, 1847 from Thailand, with descriptions of five new species (Pulmonata: Ariophantidae), Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 66, pp. 763-781 : 774-775

Macrochlamys brunnea Möllendorff, 1902

( Fig. 8A )

Macrochlamys brunnea Möllendorff, 1902b: 155 (type locality: Bangkok, Muok Lek, Hinlap) – Hemmen & Hemmen, 2001: 44.

Material examined. Holotype ( SMF 227090 /1), Bangkok, Siam [Bangkok, Thailand] . Paratypes: one shell ( SMF 227091 /1), Bangkok, Thailand; four shells ( SMF 227171 /4) ,

*Shell measurement taken from the original description of Möllendorff (1902b).

Muok Lek, Siam [Muak Lek District, Saraburi Province, Thailand].

Remarks. Macrochlamys brunnea differs from its congeners in Thailand by its small size and globose shell ( Table 1). Other distinguishing characters of this species are the depressed globose, shiny dark brown shell with a smooth surface and rounded periphery. The shell has a low conical spire, which is rather convex, with a slightly raised apex, and shallow suture. Its aperture is ovate-lunate in shape, opens obliquely and has a simple peristome. The columellar margin is gradually reflected near the narrowly open and very small umbilicus ( Fig. 8A ).

The generic placement of this species is tentative and requires verification since anatomical data is thus far unavailable. It is herein provisionally retained in the Macrochlamys as originally proposed although this species can be assigned to either Sarika or Macrochlamys if based solely on shell morphology. Unfortunately, attempts to obtain topotypic specimens from Bangkok and accessible limestone outcrops in the Saraburi Province were unsuccessful and no specimens identifiable as M. brunnea could be found. This could be due to habitat loss and population decline as many limestone outcrops in this region are being quarried. Its current status is unclear.

Figures

Fig. 8. Shells of Macrochlamys brunnea Möllendorff, 1902 (A), and M. kelantanensis Möllendorff, 1902 (B–D). A, Macrochlamys brunnea holotype (SMF 227090/1); B, M. kelantanensis holotype (SMF 227098); C, shell from Kedah, Malaysia (CUMZ 7130); D, shell from Chiang Rai, Thailand (CUMZ 7120).