39 Zootecus insularis (Ehrenberg, 1831)

Fig. 17 A – C

Pupa insularis Ehrenberg, 1831: 13. Type locality: In insula Cameran, quae prope Maris rubri ostium australe inter Loheiam et Moccham iuxta Arabiae felicis littus sita est [Cameran Island, Red Sea between Loheia and Mocha, near coast of Arabia]. Pfeiffer 1848: 307.

Bulimus insularis — Pfeiffer 1853: 403. Hanley and Theobald 1870: 11, pl. 22, fig. 10.

Pupa (Cylindrus) insularis — Nevill 1877: 22.

Stenogyra insularis — von Martens 1895: 106, pl. 8, figs 5, 6.

Zootecus insularis — Pilsbry 1906: 106–108, pl. 26, figs 21–25, 29–33. Gude 1914: 367, 368. Schileyko 1999: 519, 520, fig. 678. Neubert 2003: 154, 155, figs 1, 2. Raheem et al. 2014: 118, fig. 74 c.

Type specimen.

Lectotype ZMB 109990 (Fig. 17 A, after Raheem et al. 2014: fig. 74 c).

Other material.

NHMUK 1875.12. 4.16 (5 shells; Fig. 17 B, C) ex. Beddome collection from Burma. SMF 296651 / 2 (2 shells) ex. Ehrmann collection from Burma.

Diagnosis.

Shell subcylindrical; spire high and dome-shaped; apex pointed; subsequent whorls with fine and wavy radial striae, which stronger near suture. Aperture semi-ovate; columella short and straight. Umbilicus narrow.

Distribution.

Zootecus insularis has a wide geographic distribution, spanning across the Cape Verde Islands, northeastern Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula. Its range also extends to South Asia, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan (Pilsbry 1906; Gude 1914; Neubert 2003; Raheem et al. 2014). In Myanmar, it was recorded from ‘ Pagan’ [Bagan] in the Mandalay Region (Blanford 1865; Gude 1914).

Remarks.

No new specimens of this species were collected during this survey. However, the specimens collected from Bagan in the Mandalay Region are here identified as Z. pullus rather than Z. insularis (see under Z. pullus for further comparison). The historical museum specimens with brief locality records such as ‘ Burma’ (Fig. 17 B, C) match well with the respective type specimens of this species (Fig. 17 A). As a result, the existence of Z. insularis in Myanmar requires further evidence from newly collected specimens with precise collection locality data, otherwise it must be excluded from the faunal list.