Glessula cf. hebetata Godwin-Austen, 1920

Budha, Prem B., Naggs, Fred & Backeljau, Thierry, 2017, Conchological differentiation and genital anatomy of Nepalese Glessulinae (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora, Subulinidae), with descriptions of six new species, ZooKeys 675, pp. 129-156 : 130-132

Glessula cf. hebetata Godwin-Austen, 1920 Figs 2B, 4

Glessula hebetata : Godwin-Austen 1920, p. 49, pl. 162, fig. 26.

Material examined.

CDZMTU056/1 juvenile shell and CDZMTU056P/1 specimen (dissected), Godawari, approx. 150 m above the Godawari National Herbarium, Lalitpur, Central Nepal, 1636 m, 27.5965N, 85.3894E, 02.XII.2006, leg. P.B. Budha.

Type locality.

"Munipur" NE India.

Distribution.

Burrail range, Augaoluo Peak, Naga Hills, NE India; Nepal.

Shell.

Measurements (n = 1): SH 13.3 mm, SW 6.2 mm, HA 5.3 mm, WA 3.8 mm, Wh 7.0, approx. 2 × higher than wide, solid, ovate-conic, yellowish. Surface, glossy, with widely spaced incised radial striations. The incised striations start from the first whorl, sides convex, suture shallow. Aperture semi-oval, 1.4 × higher than wide, peristome simple and thick, columellar margin short and truncate.

Genitalia

(n = 1) (Fig. 4). Vas deferens widens towards the spermoviduct and opens into the terminal part of the small, pear shaped epiphallus. Flagellum comb-like with numerous notches in the comb, the terminal notch comparatively wider. The basal end of the penis cylindrical, widening from the middle to the proximal end (Fig. 4). Vagina very short, nearly 1/5th of the length of the penis. The penial retractor muscle close to the flagellum. The gametolytic sac is elongated, connected to the gametolytic duct by a narrow neck. The convoluted mass of the hermaphroditic duct is thick and compact and the albumen gland in the dissected samples is short.

Remarks.

The sculpture, thick peristome and size of the Nepalese specimen match with the original description of G. hebetata Godwin-Austen, 1920 (p. 49, pl. 162, fig. 26). The genitalia suggest that G. cf. hebetata is closely related to G. ochracea Godwin-Austen, 1918, and G. orophila (Reeve, 1849), all sharing a similar comb-shaped flagellum. Yet, the shell of G. ochracea is larger (SH 21.25, SW 9.25) and shows a sharper striation ( Godwin-Austen 1920). In contrast, with respect to G. orophila , Godwin-Austen (1920, p. 4) questioned the identity of the genitalia figured under this name by Semper (1873, pl. 12, fig.14-16). Hence, there is no other comparative data available with respect the genital anatomy of G. cf. hebetata , including of G. hebetata itself. However, the shell of the single specimen of putative G. hebetata from Nepal looks similar to the figure of Godwin-Austen (1920, p.49, pl. CLXII, fig. 26) which is why this specimen is referred to as G. cf. hebetata .