Cantareus koraegaelius Bourguignat in Locard, 1882

Bouaziz-Yahiatene, Houria, Inaebnit, Thomas, Medjdoub-Bensaad, Ferroudja, Colomba, Maria Stella, Sparacio, Ignazio, Gregorini, Armando, Liberto, Fabio & Neubert, Eike, 2019, Revisited - the species of Tweeting vineyard snails, genus Cantareus Risso, 1826 (Stylommatophora, Helicidae, Helicinae, Otalini), ZooKeys 876, pp. 1-26 : 10-11

Cantareus koraegaelius Bourguignat in Locard, 1882 Figs 15 , 16-20

Helix aperta var. globulosa : Bourguignat 1863, Malacologie de l’Algérie, I: 96, pl. VII, figs 3 & 4 [environs de Constantine] [non Helix (Helicogena) globulosa A. Férussac, 1821, Tableau systématique de la famille des Limaçons, livr. 10: 28 (Quarto edition; Folio edition = page 32) (published 26 May 1821). There is no description but refers to plate 25, figs 3 & 4; this plate was published in livraison 5 (4 December 1819) nec Helix globulosa von Zieten, 1832, Die Versteinerungen Württembergs Heft 5: 38, pl. 29, fig. 3a-c].

Helix koraegaelia : Bourguignat in Locard 1882, Prodrome de malacologie française. [I]. Catalogue général des Mollusques vivants de France. Mollusques terrestres, des eaux douces et des eaux saumâtres 51: 302 [la Provence au nord, et le Sahara au sud jusqu’à l’Asie-mineure, embrassant la Corse, la Sardaigne, La Sicile, l’Italie, les îles Ioniennes, la Grèce et les îles de l’Archipel].

Type material.

Globulosa : lost. koraegaelia : lectotype [sic!] MHNG-MOLL 117907 from Algeria; type locality: "Djemaa N’Saharidj” (= Djama-N-Saharidj) [Djemaa Saharidj, Mekla, 36.683484° 4.288257°].

Remarks.

Cantareus koraegaelius is a species that is almost inseparable from its congener C. apertus . This also explains why Bourguignat recorded this species from the complete distribution area of the latter species (and including the Algerian lineage). All specimens left in Bourguignat’s collection originating from the localities mentioned are syntypes of Helix koraegaelia . Thus, the type lots contain two different species. To unambiguously fix the use of this specific name, we herewith select the single specimen MHNG-MOLL 117907 from "Djemaa N’Saharidj” in Algeria as lectotype. This locality in Tizi Ouzou is very close to the places, where the anatomically and genetically well-known specimens (see below) have been recorded. The application of the name H. koraegaelia is herewith restricted to specimens exhibiting the character states as explained in this paper forming a new species.

Additional specimen examined.

Algeria: Tigzirt/ Tizi Ouzou/ Kabylie, NMBE 534199/1 (specimen preserved and sequenced); Draa Ben Khedaa/ Tizi Ouzou/ Kabylie, NMBE 519923/1 (preserved and sequenced specimen).

Description.

Shell thin, medium sized, with a relatively elevated spire and a large last whorl occupying more than half of the complete height of the shell; protoconch medium-sized, consisting of 1.5 smooth whorls; teleoconch with approximately four whorls, separated by a deep, crenulated suture; colour of teleoconch brownish, surface of teleoconch covered by low longitudinal riblets, which are more prominent below the suture, disappearing on the last whorl; aperture rounded, very large, with an inconspicuous whitish lip; umbilicus always completely closed.

Genital organs.

penis elongate, club-shaped, epiphallus as long as penis, mrp attaching in the distal third of epiphallus or even closer to penis; flagellum twice the length of the epiphallus; penial lumen smooth; pp2 a broad acute conical papilla with a central perforation structured by thick annuli; pp1 a blind papilla with a slightly broadened apex, the epiphallial pore in a lateral position; atrial and penial lumen with numerous strong crests; distal epiphallial lumen with six broad pilasters, the proximal lumen with elongated ridges.

Vagina short, stem of pedunculus thickened and short, diverticulum extremely longer than the vesicle stem + vesicle, and almost three times longer than the flagellum; glandulae mucosae longer than the dart sac, with a thickened basal part and two subsequent ramifications, tubules thin and weak, less than 10 tubules per stem; atrium dominated by a massive stimulator flap.

Measurements

(of lectotype): H = 26.3 mm; D = 27.0 mm; PH = 21.8 mm; PD = 17.7 mm.

Distribution.

the two genetically identified specimens originate from Eastern Algeria.

Remarks.

The description of the genital organs is based on the specimen NMBE 534199 from Tigzirt; unfortunately, the other specimen from Draa Ben Khedaa was subadult with only partially developed genital organs.

It is almost impossible to define differences in shell morphology between this new species and C. apertus . In the two genetically identified specimens, the protoconch of C. koraegaelius seems to be larger than in C. apertus , and the shell colour is more or less uniformly brown without any yellowish or greenish streaks. However, the morphology of the genital organs is in fact different: the large triangular pp2 is strikingly different to all what is known so far from the Italian C. apertus , where pp2 is very short to almost completely reduced, so that a “septum” is left.

Figures

Figure 15. Cantareus koraegaelius. Lectotype of Helix koraegaelia MHNG-MOLL 117907, shell diameter 27.0 mm. Shell in A frontal B dorsal C lateral D ventral and E apical views F label. Photographs T. Inaebnit, NMBE, x 1.5.

Figures 16 - 20. Cantareus koraegaelius. Shell and anatomical details of the genital organs of dissected and sequenced specimen NMBE 534199; specimen collected at Tigzirt, Tizi Ouzou, Kabylie 16 shell; shell diameter 28.1 mm 17 situs; situs length 57.5 mm 18 lumina of epiphallus, penial chamber, penial papillae and atrium 19 penial papillae 20 atrium with atrial stimulator. Photographs E. Neubert, shell x 1.5.