identifier	taxonID	type	CVterm	format	language	title	description	additionalInformationURL	UsageTerms	rights	Owner	contributor	creator	bibliographicCitation
C046A2BFABE8506FA2A35FD449A5A3F9.text	C046A2BFABE8506FA2A35FD449A5A3F9.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Gveleshapia Chertoprud & Grego & Mumladze 2026	<div><p>Gveleshapia gen. nov.</p><p>Type species.</p><p>Gveleshapia kvevri sp. nov.</p><p>Etymology.</p><p>The genus is named after the Gveleshapi (გველეშაპი), a mighty dragon or serpent from Georgian mythology that was believed to dwell in deep rivers, lakes, and springs or even own water sources, demanding sacrifices in exchange for water. Feminine gender.</p><p>Diagnosis.</p><p>Shell shape conic, with five whorls; protoconch clearly bordered (by axial growth line fold), covered by irregular honeycomb-like pits and folds of variable density; operculum ovate, thin and flat, paucispiral with submarginal nucleus, inner side of nucleus area thickened; eyes absent, unpigmented; ctenidium contain nine filaments; osphradium elongate-ovate; central radular tooth formula 5-1 - 5 / 1 - 1; lateral radular tooth formula (4-5) - 1 - (4-5); pallial gland complex of female reproductive organs 4–5 times longer than wide; bursa copulatrix absent; capsule gland up to 2 / 3 length of pallial gland complex; seminal receptacle small, up to 1 / 4 length of coiled part of oviduct, elongate-pyriform; renal oviduct U-shaped with evenly thickened walls; penis trilobate, gradually tapering, with two medial lobes, dilated along left distal-medial edge; prostate bean-shaped.</p><p>Differential diagnosis.</p><p>Conchologically, Gveleshapia gen. nov. differs from most Islamiinae genera in possessing a distinctly conical shell with a ribbed surface sculpture. In contrast, the majority of Islamiinae genera (e. g., Islamia, Josefus, Iberhoratia, Hauffenia, Beatrix, Actenidia) exhibit valvatoid, planorboid, ovate-conic, or broadly conical shells lacking such pronounced ribbing. The male reproductive system provides additional diagnostic features. The penis in Gveleshapia gen. nov. is distinctly trilobate, with a well-developed multilobate structure that differs in configuration from the penial morphology observed in Caucasian hydrobiid genera such as Caucasopsis, Schapsugia, and Sitnikovia, as well as from other described Islamiinae taxa. The female reproductive system is particularly distinctive. Gveleshapia gen. nov. lacks a bursa copulatrix, a condition that is rare among Islamiinae in which female genitalia have been described. In addition, the oviduct is strongly proximally displaced relative to the albumen gland, resulting in a lateral positioning of the seminal receptacle adjacent to the shell wall. Although a lateral loop of the oviduct is common in hydrobiids, the degree of displacement observed in Gveleshapia gen. nov. is pronounced. This unique combination of (1) a conical ribbed shell, (2) a distinctly trilobate penis, and (3) a female reproductive system lacking a bursa copulatrix and exhibiting a strongly displaced oviduct clearly separates Gveleshapia gen. nov. from all previously described Islamiinae genera.</p><p>Species included.</p><p>Gveleshapia kvevri sp. nov.</p><p>Molecular data.</p><p>The new genus forms a highly supported clade (PP = 1, BS = 100) (Chertoprud et al. 2025; see also Suppl. materials 1 –3).</p><p>Distribution.</p><p>The genus is known only from the groundwater of the Zemo Imereti karst plateau, specifically from springs near Mandaeti village.</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/C046A2BFABE8506FA2A35FD449A5A3F9	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Pensoft via Plazi	Chertoprud, Elizaveta M.;Grego, Jozef;Mumladze, Levan	Chertoprud, Elizaveta M., Grego, Jozef, Mumladze, Levan (2026): Tiny guardian of the spring: Description of the first Islamiinae (Mollusca, Hydrobiidae) from the Caucasus. ZooKeys 1272: 285-300, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1272.178534
B5BF9640514B571FA43E9628688A5D6D.text	B5BF9640514B571FA43E9628688A5D6D.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Gveleshapia kvevri Chertoprud & Grego & Mumladze 2026	<div><p>Gveleshapia kvevri sp. nov.</p><p>Figs 3, 4, 5</p><p>Type material.</p><p>Holotype: Georgia • (♀ dissected, voucher G 21 _ I _ 3 _ 2; in ethanol 90 %) (Fig. 3 a); Zemo Imereti, Mandaeti, <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=43.31563&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=42.190643" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 43.31563/lat 42.190643)">Kvevri spring near the road to Tkemlovani</a>; 42.190645°N, 43.315631°E; 700 m a. s. l.; leg. J. Grego, L. Mumladze and M. Szekeres leg.; 09. 10. 2021; deposited at Institute of Zoology, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia under repository number: ISU FM-T 024-H . Paratypes: Georgia • two dry and four alcohol preserved specimens; <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=43.31563&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=42.190643" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 43.31563/lat 42.190643)">Kvevri spring near the road to Tkemlovani</a>, Mandaeti, Zemo Imereti, Georgia; 42.190645°N, 43.315631°E; 700 m a. s. l.; leg. J. Grego, L. Mumladze and M. Szekeres leg.; 09. 10. 2021; (♀ dissected, G 21 _ I _ 3 _ 3; ♂ dissected, G 21 _ I _ 3 _ 4) 2 alcohol preserved specimens on coll. ISU FM-T 024-P 1 / P 2; 2 dry and two alcohol preserved specimens on coll. JG F 1920 . • two dry specimens; spring-sourced water reservoir in a small cave with pipes; vill. <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=43.335567&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=42.18669" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 43.335567/lat 42.18669)">Mandaeti</a>, Zemo Imereti; 42.186691°N, 43.335566°E; 740 m a. s. l.; E. Chertoprud, J. Grego, L. Mumladze, M. Olšavský and L. Vlček leg.; 27. 04. 2025; on coll. JG F 4331 . • two dry specimens; <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=43.31563&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=42.190643" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 43.31563/lat 42.190643)">Kvevri spring near the road to Tkemlovani</a>, Mandaeti, Zemo Imereti, Georgia; 42.190645°N, 43.315631°E; 700 m a. s. l.; J. Grego, L. Mumladze, E. Chertoprud leg.; 13. 09. 2022; on coll. JG F 2155 .</p><p>Other material examined.</p><p>Georgia • six dry and one alcohol preserved specimens; spring-sourced water reservoir in a small cave with pipes; <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=43.335567&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=42.18669" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 43.335567/lat 42.18669)">vill. Mandaeti</a>, Zemo Imereti; 42.186691°N, 43.335566°E; 740 m a. s. l.; E. Chertoprud leg.; 22 August 2021; one ♀ dissected alcohol preserved specimen in Moscow on coll. EC G 21 _ ZI _ 1 _ 1; six dry specimens in Moscow on coll. EC G 21 ZI _ 1 . • two alcohol preserved specimens; <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=43.31563&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=42.190643" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 43.31563/lat 42.190643)">Kvevri spring near the road to Tkemlovani</a>, Mandaeti, Zemo Imereti, Georgia; 42.190645°N, 43.315631°E; 700 m a. s. l.; J. Grego, L. Mumladze, E. Chertoprud leg.; 13. 09. 2022; in Moscow on coll. EC G 22 I _ 1 . • one alcohol preserved specimen; <a href="https://tb.plazi.org/GgServer/search?materialsCitation.longitude=43.31563&amp;materialsCitation.latitude=42.190643" title="Search Plazi for locations around (long 43.31563/lat 42.190643)">Kvevri spring near the road to Tkemlovani</a>, Mandaeti, Zemo Imereti, Georgia; 42.190645°N, 43.315631°E; 700 m a. s. l.; leg. J. Grego, L. Mumladze and M. Szekeres leg.; 09. 10. 2021; in Moscow on coll. EC G 21 _ I _ 3 _ 1 .</p><p>Etymology.</p><p>Name derived from one of the two localities with spring water emerging from a large ceramic jar named kvevri (ქვევრი) (Fig. 2 B, D), used for the fermentation, storage and aging of the traditional Georgian wine. The name also refers to the oldest archaeological evidence of winemaking traditions in the world (Neolithic, 6000–5800 BC, Gadachrili Gora, Georgia (McGovern et al. 2017), which are unambiguously associated with the use of kvevris in ancient Georgia or karasis in Armenia.</p><p>Description.</p><p>Measurements of holotype: SH = 2.15 mm; SW = 0.92 mm; BWH = 1.22 mm; BWW = 0.82 mm; SpH = 0.93 mm; AH = 0.64 mm; AW = 0.50 mm; WN = 4.6.</p><p>Shell. Elongate-conic, whorls number up to 5.2, shell height up to 2.15 mm, width 0.79–0.99 mm (Fig. 3; Suppl. material 5), transparent; protoconch with 1.6 whorls; protoconch with irregular pits, wrinkles and folds, well bordered by axial growth line (Fig. 4 A – C); teleoconch whorls convex, separated by a deep suture, ornamented with fine axial growth lines, crossed by very weak spiral threads, resulting in an extremely delicate reticulate sculpture (Fig. 4 A – E); body whorl occupies about 60 % of total shell height; aperture about 30 % of total shell height, ovate; aperture margin straight, upper part of inner lip touching the shell wall; umbilicus thin, slit-like or almost closed. See Suppl. material 5 for the shell measurements.</p><p>Operculum. Ovate, thin and flat, paucispiral with submarginal nucleus, translucent, orange or yellowish, muscle attachment located near the nucleus (Fig. 4 G).</p><p>Radula. About 400 µm long, containing 70–80 rows of teeth. Central tooth formula 5-1 - 5 / 1 - 1, central cusp V-shaped, basal tongue V-shaped (Fig. 4 H); lateral tooth formula (4-5) - 1 - (4-5), central cusp V-shaped; inner marginal teeth having ≥ 20 cusps; outer marginal teeth having ≥ 15 cusps.</p><p>Anatomy. Soft body not pigmented, white; eye spots are absent (Fig. 5 J – M); ctenidium with nine filaments; osphradium elongated oval.</p><p>Male reproductive organs. Penis trilobate, tightly folded, unpigmented, gradually tapering, with two medial lobes extending from ventral side of penis; distal portion slightly curved; basal portion slightly expanded, attached behind right tentacle (Fig. 5 J – N); vas deferens runs along right penial edge; prostate gland large, bean-shaped.</p><p>Female reproductive organs. Capsule gland two times longer than albumen gland, occupying 2 / 3 of entire distal female genitalia (Fig. 5 A, G), with a distinctly lobed internal structure; bursa copulatrix absent; renal oviduct is posterior to albumen gland (Fig. 5 A, C, E), simple, U-shaped coiled, with one loop; unevenly widened; sr medium, elongate-pyriform, positioned on right side of albumen gland, closely adjoin oviduct loop (Fig. 5 C – E); ventral channel thickened; (Fig. 5 B, H); genital pore elongate-pyriform.</p><p>Remarks.</p><p>Phylogenetic analyses (both maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference; Suppl. materials 1 –3) show all Gveleshapia kvevri sp. nov. specimens forming a single, highly supported clade that is sister to Islamiinae s. str. (PP = 1.00, BS = 100 %). Islamiinae s. str. refers to the core, monophyletic clade on both trees (Suppl. material 1) containing Islamia and closely related genera (e. g., Islamia valvataeformis clade), excluding distantly related lineages. However, these sister-group relationships lack robust support, and Islamiinae s. l. – the broader, originally defined group including all nominal genera – appears polyphyletic in both reconstructions, indicating a need for further revision of this group (also see fig. 2 in Chertoprud et al. 2025). We therefore preliminarily assign the new genus and species to Islamiinae based on morphological criteria.</p><p>Gveleshapia kvevri sp. nov. shares key features with Islamiinae members, notably the multilobate penis morphology (often bearing more than one lobe in this group). The new species differs from most other species in the Islamiinae subfamily by its conical-shaped shell. Most species in this subfamily have a valvatoid, planorboid or ovate-conic shell ( Islamia, Josefus, Fissuria Boeters, 1981, Iberhoratia, Hauffenia, Beatrix, Actenidia, etc.). This species is also distinguished by the absence of a bursa copulatrix in the female reproductive system, which is generally uncommon among those Islamiinae for which female genitalia have been described. In terms of the configuration of the oviduct and seminal receptacles, the new species’ pallial female reproductive organs are most similar to those of Iberhoratia morenoi Arconada, Delicado &amp; M. A. Ramos, 2007, which is known from Spain. However, the species differ in other respects, such as shell shape, penis and the presence or absence of eyes and bursa copulatrix. It is also notable that the new species is characterized by a strong proximal displacement of the oviduct relative to the albumen gland. This results in the seminal receptacle being located on the side of the pallial gland complex that is adjacent to the shell wall (Fig. 5 A). In hydrobiids, a lateral loop of the oviduct relative to the albumen gland is common (Hershler and Ponder 1998). The presence of a second seminal receptacle remains debatable. The removal of a section of the oviduct loop revealed a dilated duct section with opalescent content (Fig. 5 D). It is unclear whether this structure is an adherent seminal receptacle or if sperm are stored directly within the oviduct itself. Gveleshapia kvevri sp. nov. is conchologically similar to representatives of other hydrobiid genera known from the Caucasian region ( Caucasopsis Grego &amp; Mumladze, 2020, Schapsugia Chertoprud, Palatov &amp; Vinarski, 2021, Sitnikovia Chertoprud, Palatov &amp; Vinarski, 2020). However, it differs significantly in the morphology of the trilobate penis, as well as in the morphology of the female genitalia, which lack a bursa copulatrix, and whose oviduct is strongly displaced beyond the albumen gland.</p><p>Habitat and distribution.</p><p>Gveleshapia kvevri sp. nov. is found in two springs in Mandaeti village (Imereti, Georgia) (Fig. 2), located 1700 m apart. The type locality is a short, 5 m-long cave spring with an artificial tap water collector that emerges from Cretaceous limestone beds. The second known locality is a small, permanent rheocrene spring emerging from Middle Miocene sandstones subjacent to Quaternary clay deposits. Both localities are hydrologically connected, emerging from the same aquifer system within a single limestone hill covering an area of only about 2 km 2. However, the potential extent of adjacent groundwater aquifers as additional habitats cannot be assessed due to the lack of detailed hydrogeological data for the springs and the surrounding region. Live specimens were found washed out of their stygobiont habitat in fine sediments of the springhead and occasionally also attached to pieces of decaying wood. Despite extensive sampling over several years, only seven live specimens (two juveniles, five adults) were collected across both localities (all individuals were used for morphological and molecular analyses), confirming the collection sites as margins of underground populations. Most living mollusks were collected from the type locality using the bottom-sediment sieving technique (Grego et al. 2017). We also collected materials from several other springs in the vicinity, but with no further records of G. kvevri sp. nov. Thus far, the species is only known from two closely localized springs, and its distribution range is below two square kilometers. Both localities and the spring drainage areas are within the boundaries of villages under significant anthropogenic influence (such as overgrazing, agricultural practice, and pollution). The fact that the groundwater systems of Zemo Imereti were heavily altered by manganese mining during the 20 th century and are steadily exposed to pollution from a densely populated rural region (Lezhava et al. 2017), we can assume that the distribution range of the new genus could once have been much larger than the recent record would suggest. Therefore, the populations of G. kvevri sp. nov. and, most probably, the whole species can be considered Near Threatened.</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/B5BF9640514B571FA43E9628688A5D6D	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Pensoft via Plazi	Chertoprud, Elizaveta M.;Grego, Jozef;Mumladze, Levan	Chertoprud, Elizaveta M., Grego, Jozef, Mumladze, Levan (2026): Tiny guardian of the spring: Description of the first Islamiinae (Mollusca, Hydrobiidae) from the Caucasus. ZooKeys 1272: 285-300, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1272.178534
