Ganesella Blanford, 1863

Sutcharit, Chirasak, Backeljau, Thierry & Panha, Somsak, 2019, Re-description of the type species of the genera Ganesella Blanford, 1863 and Globotrochus Haas, 1935; with description of a new Ganesella species from Thailand (Eupulmonata, Camaenidae), ZooKeys 870, pp. 51-76 : 51

Genus Ganesella Blanford, 1863

Helix (Ganesella) W.T. Blanford, 1863: 86.

Trochomorphoides Nevill, 1878: 80. Type species: Helix acris Benson, 1859, by original designation.

Darwininitium Budha & Mordan in Budha et al. 2012: 21. Type species: Darwininitium shiwalikianum Budha & Mordan in Budha et al. 2012, by original designation. New synonym.

Type species.

Helix capitium Benson, 1848 by subsequent designation ( Pilsbry 1895: 168).

Description.

Shell more or less trochoid, moderately thin to solid, with 4-6 convex whorls. Last whorl rounded to angular, with or without a peripheral keel, a little descending in front. Colour light monochrome or with a few dark bands and/or spots and streaks. Embryonic shell smooth. Post apical whorls with irregular, thin, radial ridges and spiral lines (smooth below peripheral angle or keel). Aperture widely ovate, moderately oblique with variously reflected margins. Umbilicus narrow, but open, rarely closed. Shell height ranged from 4.5 to 25.0 mm and shell width ranged from 5.5 to 27.0 mm.

Genitalia typical of camaenids, without accessory organs on penis or vagina. Penis short to long, with small to large penial verge, but no penial appendix; epiphallus and flagellum short.

Radular teeth triangular to spatulate, central tooth unicuspid, lateral and marginal teeth tricuspid.

Remarks.

The genus Ganesella s.s. differs from Satsuma s.s by having a penial verge, but no penial appendix. In contrast, Satsuma has a short to long penial appendix on the distal part of the penis, but lacks a penial verge. In addition, Satsuma occurs from Japan to Taiwan and southern China, while Ganesella occurs from South to Southeast Asia, including Japan ( Azuma 1995, Schileyko 2003, Wu et al. 2008).

Darwininitium shiwalikianum Budha & Mordan, 2012, the type species of the monotypic genus Darwininitium Budha & Mordan, 2012, appears conchologically identical to Helix capitium , the type species of Ganesella (see also Budha et al. 2016). Therefore, the genus Darwininitium , which was originally described from central Nepal, is here tentatively regarded as a junior subjective synonym of the camaenid genus Ganesella . If this is confirmed, then Darwininitium was erroneously assigned to the family Cerastidae and as such, its pallial system with a long kidney and s-shape ureter would point to a sigmurethrous condition and not to a case of pseudosigmurethry within the Orthurethra (sensu Solem 1959 and see also Budha et al. 2016). These taxonomic conclusions appear to be supported by DNA sequence data ( Budha et al. 2016).