Leiabbottella thompsoni, Watters, G. Thomas, 2013

Watters, G. Thomas, 2013, New taxa and distributional notes on Abbottella and related taxa (Gastropoda: Littorinoidea: Annulariidae), Zootaxa 3646 (1), pp. 1-22 : 9-11

Leiabbottella thompsoni new species

Figures 2 A–E , 7 E

Type material. UF 456799, holotype; length, 7.6 mm; width, 13.7 mm. UF 236225, 91 paratypes, from the type locality.

Type locality. Dominican Republic, Monte Plata Province, 5 km N of Majagual, at 150 m. ca. 19.09° N, - 69.83° W. See Remarks under L. soluta below.

Other material examined. UF 216194, 18 specimens, 5 km N of Majagual, Monte Plata Province, Dominican Republic; UF 236230, 29 specimens, 2 km N of Majagual, Monte Plata Province, Dominican Republic, at 150 m; UF 216189, 30 specimens, 7 km N of Majagual, Monte Plata Province, Dominican Republic, at 105 m; UF 216127, 26 specimens, 13 km NW of Sabana Grande de Boyá, Monte Plata Province, Dominican Republic, at 250 m; UF 249105, 6 specimens, N of Majagual, ca. 12 km NW of Sabana Grande de Boyá, Monte Plata Province, Dominican Republic, at 150 m; UF 216193, 22 specimens, 1 km N of Majagual, Monte Plata Province, Dominican Republic, at 200 m.

Distribution and habitat. Known only from the karstic region of Los Haitises, which separates the Cordillera Central from the Cordillera Oriental. The species lives at the base of deeply karsted limestone knolls and in ravines in tropical forest under debris and leaf litter. A portion of this distribution has been planted as coffee groves.

Description. Shell large for genus (largest specimen, 7.7 mm total length x 13.8 mm total width; smallest specimen, 6.6 mm total length x 11.2 mm total width; holotype, 7.6 mm total length including peristome x 13.7 mm total width including peristome), depressed, nearly planispiral, whorls adnate except just before lip. Umbilicus very wide, ca. 35% of total width, open to earliest whorls. Protoconch of ca. 1.5 erect whorls but demarcation between protoconch and teleoconch not well-defined. Teleoconch of 3.25 whorls. Shell smooth except for numerous (ca. 50–60 on final whorl), incised axial lines between which are microscopic threads. Spiral sculpture absent except for the faintest trace of umbilical cords in a few specimens. Suture deeply indented. Aperture double, circular (7.3 mm maximum width in holotype), adnate to the previous whorl. Inner lip smooth, exserted, tube-like. Outer lip broadly expanded, sinuate, adherent to the previous whorl, forming a broad, prominent, cup-shaped auricle. Shell dirty white, tan, or bronze, somewhat shiny, patterned with narrow, often interrupted, brown spiral bands, apparent on both sides of outer lip and on inner lip as well. Operculum multispiral with an oblique, calcareous lamella.

Variation in specimens. 223 specimens seen. Specimens are uniform in shell characteristics, varying only in the strength of the color bands and background color.

Comparison with other species. Leiabbottella soluta (Pfeiffer, 1852) ( Figure 2 F–I) is closely related to L. thompsoni . Leiabbottella soluta tends to be less planispiral, with relatively wider whorls, and has a less adnate outer lip auricle than does L. thompsoni . Leiabbottella soluta occurs over 120 km to the northwest in the Cordillera Septentrional. Leiabbottella galaxius ( Figure 2 J–L) is smaller and has a much less developed outer lip.

Etymology. Named for Dr. Fred Thompson, Curator, UF, whose unparalleled collections in Hispaniola form the basis of our understanding of this group and the terrestrial snail fauna there in general.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Distributions are approximate. Base map courtesy of NASA. A. Abbottella (Abbottella) calliotropis new species. B. Abbottella (Abbottella) diadema new species. C. Abbottella (Abbottella) dichroa new species. D. Leiabbottella soluta (Pfeiffer, 1852). E. Leiabbottella thompsoni new species. F. Abbottella (Abbottella) abbotti Bartsch, 1946. G. Abbottella (Abbottella) crossei (Pilsbry, 1933). H. Abbottella (Abbottella) milleacantha Watters & Duffy, 2010. I. Rolleia haitensis Bartsch, 1946.

FIGURE 2. A – E. Leiabbottella thompsoni new species. A – C. Holotype (UF 456799), 13.7 mm width. D. Paratype (UF 236225), 14.1 mm width. E. Paratype (UF 236225), 13.6 mm width. F – I. Leiabbottella soluta (Pfeiffer, 1852). F. Illustration from Pfeiffer (1854: pl. 39, fig. 8). G. UF 216196, 11.9 mm width. H. UF 216196, 13.9 mm width. I. UF 216196, 13.8 mm width. J – L. Leiabbottella galaxius Watters, 2010. Paratype (OSUM 35491), 8.4 mm width.