Tanzalimax tattersfieldi, Rowson, Ben, Paustian, Megan & Goethem, Jackie Van, 2017

Rowson, Ben, Paustian, Megan & Goethem, Jackie Van, 2017, New species and records of terrestrial slugs from East Africa (Gastropoda, Urocyclidae, Veronicellidae, Agriolimacidae), ZooKeys 723, pp. 11-42 : 15-16

Tanzalimax tattersfieldi sp. n. Figs 13-14, 17, 24, 36-38, 59-63, 64-65

Material.

TANZANIA: Holotype NMW.Z.1996.148.00035: 1 ad., Ambangulu FR (5.08°S, 38.43°E), West Usambara Mts., Lushoto District, montane forest at approx. 1240 m alt., leg. PT, 29 Jan. 1996 (sample IIC). Paratype 1 RBINS.I.G. 33548/MT.3609, 1 ad., Bomole FR (5.1°S, 38.62°E), East Usambara Mts., Muheza District, forest at 1240 m alt., leg. PT, 4 Mar 1995 (sample II). Paratype 2 NMW: 1 ad., Mtai FR (38.46°E, 4.51°S), East Usambara Mts., Muheza District, leg. Frontier Tanzania, 1996.

Description.

External appearance (Figs 13-14). (In preservation; living appearance not recorded). Medium-sized (30-40 mm long) slug, body, head and tentacles pale buff, well-marked with scattered dark brown spots on back and flanks, coalescing to form diffuse bands on mantle. Sole coloured as body, tripartite. Moderate dorsal keel along whole length of tail, terminating in a very short, blunt caudal appendage. Supraperipodial groove not evident. Tail and flanks with moderately large, but smooth and very flat tubercules. Mantle moderately sized (approx. 40 % of body length) with finely granular surface and large shell pore, attached at rear.

Shell (Fig. 17). Fingernail-shaped, symmetrical, 5.0 mm long, thin and weakly mineralised, with periostracum just extending beyond the margins.

Jaw and radula (Figs 24, 36-38). Jaw with strong median projection. Radula with central tooth and up to 80 lateral and marginal teeth in a half-row, in over 100 rows. Lateral teeth tricuspid, outermost laterals becoming bicuspid, but with mesocones pointed and largest. Serrated outer edges to some outermost marginals.

Genitalia (Figs 59-62, 64-65). Visceral cavity almost reaches tail (only the posterior 10% of body solid). No stimulator. Penial complex consisting of: strongly twisted free penis; epiphallus 1 long, epiphallus 2 very short; long epiphallic caecum; and pyriform calc sac. Penial retractor muscle arising from diaphragm. Internally, penis smooth. No penis verge. Moderately thick penial sheath present. Atrium long, with weak internal folds. Vagina with a strong muscular swelling at one side, internally with strong irregular folds and a sphincter near the swelling. Bursa copulatrix duct robust, long, not pigmented or ornamented, internally with weak longitudinal pilasters; bursa voluminous, thin-walled, pointed apically. Oviductal gland quite large, oviduct short and broad. Ovotestis sited posterior to albumen gland.

Spermatophores. Two fragmented spermatophore tails from bursa of holotype, toothed at the tail tip; three spermatophores from Paratype 2, up to 20 mm long.

Etymology.

Named in honour of Peter Tattersfield, in recognition of his work, encouragement and support of others in the study of East African terrestrial molluscs, including collecting many of the slugs studied here.

Distribution and habitat.

Forest in both the West and East Usambara Mts., where numerous endemic molluscs are known (e.g. Verdcourt 2006).

Remarks.

See T. seddonae sp. n.