Pollicaria gravida (Benson, 1856)

Kongim, Bangon, Sutcharit, Chirasak, Naggs, Fred & Panha, Somsak, 2013, Taxonomic revision of the Elephant Pupinid snail genus Pollicaria Gould, 1856 (Prosobranchia, Pupinidae), ZooKeys 287, pp. 19-40 : 25-28

Pollicaria gravida (Benson, 1856) Fig. 4A-E Tables 1 2

Megalostoma gravidum Benson, 1856 [March]: 229. Type locality: Moulmein. Hanley and Theobald 1870: pl. 7, fig. 1.

Otopoma blennus Benson, 1856: 231. Type locality: Moulmein.

Cyclostoma pollex Gould, 1856 [October]: 14. Type locality: Tavoy, British Burma. Gould 1862: 221.

Hybocystis gravida -Benson, 1859: 91. Pfeiffer 1860: 123, 124, pl. 35, figs 1-4. Blanford 1864: 460. Crosse 1885: 187-190, pl. 11, fig. 2. Fischer 1885: 174.

Pollicaria gravida -Stoliczka, 1871: 150. Sowerby 1878: Pupinidae , pl. 8, species 68. Kobelt 1902: 289, 290, fig. 65. Gude 1921: 191, fig. 29. Wenz 1938: 475, fig. 1213. Pain 1974: 174, pl. 6 fig. 7.

Cyclostoma (Pollicaria) pollex -Johnson, 1964: 129.

Material examined.

Five shells in the type series of W.H. Benson, the specimen with similar shape, size and colour to the original description is designated here as the lectotype of Megalomastoma gravidum Benson, 1856 UMZC I.102935.A (height 32 mm, width 18 mm; Fig. 4A ) and paralectotypes UMZC I.102935.B-E (4 shells, Fig. 4B ); syntype of Otopoma blennus Benson, 1856 UMZC I.102930.A-B (2 shells, Fig. 4C ).

Burma: NHMUK 79.9.1.5-6 (2 shells), Theobald colln. Acc. no. 1592 (2 shells), B.R. Lucus colln. Acc. no. 2351 (2 shells), Trechmann colln. Acc. no. 2176 (2 shells), 2 lots of E.R. Sykes collns. Acc. no. 1825 (1 shell and 2 shells); ZMA: R.v. Lennep colln. Acc. no. 1876 (1 shell); ZMB: Paetel colln. (1 shell), 2 lots of Dunker collns. (1 shell, 2 shells), Nevill colln. ZMB 20723 (2 shells). Farm Cave, Moulmein: NHMUK 88.124.863.4-5 (3 shells, Fig. 4D, E ). Moulmein, Burma: NHMUK 71.9.23.193 (1 shell), 24.06.4.4 (2 shells), 1954.6.2.1231-1 (2 shells), H. Cuming colln. (4 shells), 2 lots of H.F./W.T. Blanford collns. Acc. no. 1944 (5 shells, 2 shells), T. Oldham colln. Acc. no. 1733 (2 shells); ZMA: Schepman colln. (1 shell). Unknown locality: NHMUK V.W. MacAndrew coll. (4 shells), H.E.J. Biggs colln. Acc. no. 2258 (2 shells), H. Cuming colln. (1 shell).

Description.

Shell. Shell small for Pollicaria , pupoid, pale orange, yellow to white. Periostracum thin and transparent; shell surface smooth. Whorls 5-6; sutures moderately impressed; apex slightly inclined to right; spire short. Last whorl large about two-thirds of shell height, distorted and flattened in front. Aperture rounded with a shallow posterior angled groove. Peristome continuous, with distinct parietal declining shoulder internally. Lip thickened, little expanded, and margin moderately duplicated; umbilicus narrow. Operculum thick, calcareous, multispiral.

Distribution.

Accepted records are confined to Burma: Moulmein, Damontha, Tavoy and Tenasserim ( Benson 1856, 1859, Stoliczka 1871, Crosse 1885, Kobelt 1902, Gude 1921, Pain 1974). Records from Northern Vietnam of Pollicaria crossei and Pollicaria rochebruni are considered to be distinct species.

Remarks.

Otopoma blennus Benson, 1856 and Cyclostoma pollex Gould, 1856 have long been considered as junior synonyms of Pollicaria gravida and this classification has been followed by a number of authors ( Hanley and Theobald 1870, Sowerby 1878, Crosse 1885, Kobelt 1902, Pain 1974). Subsequently, Pollicaria crossei and Pollicaria rochebruni from Vietnam were also placed into synonymy with this species (see Pain 1974). However, examination of the type specimens of these three species ( Figs 4A, B ; 5D, F ) dem onstrated that Pollicaria gravida could be distinguished from Pollicaria crossei and Pollicaria rochebruni by having a whitish to yellowish shell colour with swollen whorls, impressed sutures and with the last whorl flattened ventrally ( Table 1 ). Furthermore, Pollicaria gravida is mainly restricted to the western edge of the Pollicaria distribution in Tavoy and Tenasserim of Burma, and does not overlap with the two Vietnamese species in the east ( Pain 1974). Unfortunately, none of the live specimens of Pollicaria gravida were examined cytogenetically for additional discrimination of these three species.

Figures

Figure 4. Shell morphology of Pollicaria spp. A-E Pollicaria gravida A lectotype UMZC I. 102935. A B paralectotype UMZC I. 102935. B-E C syntype of Otopoma blennus Benson, 1856 UMZC I. 102930. A and D, E specimens from Farm Caves, Moulmein, Burma (NHMUK 88.124.863.4 - 5; specimen with ' x' was figured in Gude (1921), fig. 29) F, G Pollicaria myersii F form Siam (NHMUK 20090242; specimen figured in Pfeiffer, 1856 a, pl. 19, figs 1, 2), and G specimen from Pahom, Vang Vieng, Laos (CUMZ 1572) H, I Pollicaria mouhoti mouhoti H lectotype (NHMUK 20130071 / 1), and I specimen from Tam Wungdang, Phitsanulok (CUMZ 1533) J, K Pollicaria mouhoti monochroma ssp. n. from the type locality, J holotype CUMZ 1577, and K paratype CUMZ 1548.

Figure 5. Shell morphology of Pollicaria spp. A-C Pollicaria elephas A lectotype of Pollicaria elephas (MNHN 21309) B lectotype of Hybocystis jousseaumei Morgan, 1885 (MNHN 21308), and C specimen from Gunung Kenting, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia (CUMZ 1536) D, E Pollicaria rochebruni D lectotype (MNHN 21305), and E specimen from Phuong Nga National Park, Vietnam (CUMZ 1568) F, G Pollicaria crossei, F lectotype (MNHN 21304), and G specimen from Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam (CUMZ 1588).