Travunijana ovalis ( Kuščer, 1933 ) Grego, 2020

Grego, Jozef, 2020, Revision of the stygobiont gastropod genera Plagigeyeria Tomlin, 1930 and Travunijana Grego & Glöer, 2019 (Mollusca; Gastropoda; Moitessieriidae and Hydrobiidae) in Hercegovina and adjacent regions, European Journal of Taxonomy 691, pp. 1-56 : 42

Travunijana ovalis ( Kuščer, 1933) comb. nov.

Fig. 7 I–K

Plagiogeyeria (sic) ovalis Kuščer, 1933: 62–63 , pl. 1, fig. 4.

Plagigeyeria ovalis – Jaeckel, Klemm & Meise 1957: 174. — Jaeckel 1967: 92. — Bole & Velkovrh 1986: 202.

Plagigeyeria mostarensis ovalis – Bank 2013: Fauna Europaea v. 2.6 — Bank & Neubert 2017: 25.

non Plagigeyeria mostarensis ovalis – Schütt 1972: 119, tab. 6, fig. 4.

Diagnosis

Robust oval shell (3 mm) with prominent body whorl and conical spire, smooth or finely striated shell surface, blunt apex, narrow umbilicus and large callous irregularly oval aperture only slightly protruding at basal view. Lateral labral profile straight and columellar labrum possesses a weak-cut sinuation. Protoconch very faintly pitted.

Distribution

Known only from Vrelo “Bunica” (55 m a.s.l.) near Hodbina south of Mostar. The records of the species from springs at lower Neretva ( Kuščer 1935) were not supported since and need further confirmation.

Remarks

Kuščer (1933) described Plagiogeyeria (sic) ovalis as a subspecies of P. mostarensis with the type locality in the Buna spring. However, many sampling attempts in the type locality (Vrelo “Buna”) have not proven the presence of the species. The species was repeatedly detected in the sediments of the Vrelo “Bunica”, a name very similar to the one given as the type locality. We suppose the true type locality of P. ovalis is the Vrelo “Bunica”, and the original labels were likely misinterpreted in same manner as for P. mostarensis described from the same collection at the same time from the same locality. The subspecific status of P. ovalis was misleading for most of the following authors as Schütt (1972), figured a specimen of P. mostarensis from Vrelo “Buna” with a less elevated and broken spire as P. mostarensis ovalis (p. 119, pl. 6, fig. 4.). The understanding of P. ovalis as a valid species was therefore overlooked for several decades. Nevertheless, P. ovalis can be clearly distinguished from P. mostarensis not only by its more robust-oval shell with different aperture shape, but also by its less conspicuous ribbing, representing rather axial growth lines, and by a substantially different straight lateral and weakly sinuated columellar marginal profile, against the strongly sinuated ones in P. mostarensis . Furthermore, the substantially different protoconch morphology separate both taxa also on the genus level.

Figures

Fig. 7 (next page). A. Plagigeyeria mostarensis, Kuščer 1933, holotype, from Kuščer 1933, assigned to Izvor Buna in Blagaj but rather represents the form from near spring Bunica in Hodbina. B. P. mostarensis, hypotype of Schütt, 1970, from spring Bunica (SMF 221236). C. P. mostarensis, likely topotype from spring Bunica (JG F1146). D–E. P. mostarensis var., from spring of Buna assigned as type locality (JG F0536). Fa–Fb. Paladilhiopsis (Costellina) turrita (Kuščer, 1933) paratype and holotype from Kuščer 1933, spring Izvor in valley of river Jadro near Split. G. P. pseudocostellina sp. nov., left bank side spring of river Buna 400 m from main spring (holotype HNHM-MOLL-104164). H. P. pseudocostellina sp. nov., left bank side spring of river Buna 200 m from main spring (paratype JG F1140). I. Travunijana ovalis (Kuščer, 1933), holotype from Kuščer, assigned to Izvor Buna in Blagaj but not found in assigned locality, only in spring Bunica in Hodbina. J–K. T. ovalis (Kuščer, 1933), spring Bunica near Hodbina (JG F1145). L. T. robusta (Schütt, 1959), Trebinje district, Tučevac spring at right bank of Trebišnjica River (JG F1163). M. T. robusta, Trebinje district, Gorica, cave Vruljak 1 (JG F0831). N. T. robusta asculpta (Schütt, 1972), spring Ombla (Dubrovačka Rijeka) at Komolac near Dubrovnik (JG F1080).