Suniellus adriani, Breure, Abraham S. H., 2011

Breure, Abraham S. H., 2011, Annotated type catalogue of the Orthalicoidea (Mollusca, Gastropoda) in the Royal Belgian Institute of Sciences, Brussels, with descriptions of two new species, ZooKeys 101, pp. 1-50 : 27-28

Suniellus adriani sp. n. Figs 17 C–E

Diagnosis.

A relatively large, and elongate species of Suniellus , with the last whorl a little saccate.

Description.

Shell 32.5 mm, 1.86 times as long as wide, elongate-ovate, with hardly convex sides, imperforate; very thin. Colour yellowish-olivaceus with brownish streaks, especially on last whorl. Upper whorls lighter in colour. Surface rather shining, with irregularly spaced, thickened growth striae, in between with weaker incrassations and, especially at upper part of last whorl, some oblong granules. Protoconch eroded, but on the dorsal side traces visible of axial wrinkles, partly anastomosing. Whorls 5.7, hardly convex, the last 0.81 times total shell height, a little saccate; suture well impressed. Aperture elongate-ovate, 0.54 times shell height, approx. 1.4 times as long as wide, with a pearly lustre inside. Peristome thin and simple, columella thread-like, somewhat dilated above and appressed at the transition to the parietal wall, which bears a hardly noticeable callus.

Dimensions.

Holotype H 32.5, D 17.4, HA 17.4, WA 12.2.

Type locality.

Ecuador, Prov. Pichincha, "San Diego Cuchu" (see remarks).

Type material.

RBINS/MT2378, holotype, ex Cousin (Dautzenberg coll.).

Comparison with other taxa.

This novelty closely resembles Suniellus chillu Breure, 1978 from Bolivia in shell shape, but is much larger.

Remarks.

The lip is damaged at the upper palatal side and the insertion to the shell has been torn off, leaving some tears at the upper part of the last whorl, just behind the lip. The type locality could not be found in modern gazetteers; it is a mixture of Spanish and Quechua words, and may not be officially known under this name. It is likely to be in the páramo area, as Cousin on a second label has written "pie de la nieve / Frutillas por arriba" [at the foot of the snow / Strawberries above]; snow in the 19th century probably occurred at lower elevations than today, but an elevation for this locality of above 2750 m may be a safe guess ( González, pers. commun.). There is only one specimen known.

Etymology.

The epithet is a patronym in honour of Adrián González-a Cuban malacologist now living in Quito, Ecuador-in recognition for his contributions to Neotropical malacology by his photographic work, his books aimed at a general public, and his dedicated fieldwork.