Gulella (Molarella) subhyalina (Smith, 1890)

Muratov, Igor V., 2010, Terrestrial molluscs of Cabo Delgado and adjacent inland areas of north-eastern Mozambique, African Invertebrates 51 (2), pp. 255-255 : 273

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5733/afin.051.0203

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7913653

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B7D926-AD33-FFB2-E820-FB70FD6CFD38

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Gulella (Molarella) subhyalina (Smith, 1890)
status

 

Gulella (Molarella) subhyalina (Smith, 1890) View in CoL

Fig. 35 View Figs 30–38

Ennea subhyalina: Smith 1890: 165 View in CoL , pl. 6, fig. 13 (Mamboya, north-eastern Tanzania; 6.00× 2.25 mm).

A not very common eastern African species, with a general distribution from northern Tanzania to northern Mozambique. Found at one station inland. Differs from other Streptaxidae View in CoL in the area by the smooth cylindrical shell with a single large parietal lamella, two upper palatal, one deeply positioned lower palatal, one basal lamella and two columellar lamellae.

The type of Ennea subhyalina does not have the lower palatal tooth. There are several other species and forms with a smooth cylindrical shell and similar dentition. Ennea ingens described by Sturany (1898: 23, pl. 1, fig. 9) from the coast of KwaZulu-Natal (Durban) is much larger (9.0× 3.2 mm) and also has only two palatal teeth. Ennea gwendolineae described by Preston (1910: 527, fig. 3) from Shimba Hills south-west of Mombasa in south-eastern Kenya, also has only two palatal teeth and is smaller (5.0× 1.5 mm) but otherwise very similar to subhyalina . Surprisingly, Preston did not mention subhyalina in the original description of gwendolineae , instead comparing his new species with the much more different E. subflavescens , which was described by Smith (1890: 165, pl. 6, fig. 14) on the same page with subhyalina and illustrated next to it. Connolly (1922 b: 501, pl. 14, fig. 27) described G. (M.) gwendolineae scissidens from Tanzania (Dar es Salaam) with an additional “more deep-set” lower palatal tooth. With the exception of its much smaller size (4.1× 1.6 mm), scissidens is otherwise almost identical in shell shape, dentition and lack of sculpture to subhyalina from north-eastern Mozambique. Considering the very close similarities between gwendolineae + scissidens, and subhyalina + shells with an additional lower palatal tooth from north-eastern Mozambique, it is quite possible that all of them may well be just variations of one species with a distribution from south-eastern Kenya to north-eastern Mozambique. Therefore, it seems unnecessary to give a separate name to the seventoothed variety from north-eastern Mozambique.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Mollusca

Class

Gastropoda

Order

Stylommatophora

Family

Streptaxidae

Genus

Gulella

Loc

Gulella (Molarella) subhyalina (Smith, 1890)

Muratov, Igor V. 2010
2010
Loc

Ennea subhyalina

: Smith 1890: 165
1890
Loc

Streptaxidae

Gray 1860
1860
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