Pollicaria rochebruni (Mabille, 1887)

Minton, Russell L., Harris, Phillip M., North, Ernest & Tu, Do Van, 2017, Diversity and taxonomy of Vietnamese Pollicaria (Gastropoda, Pupinidae), Zoosystematics and Evolution 93 (1), pp. 95-104 : 99-102

Pollicaria rochebruni (Mabille, 1887)

Hybocystis rochebruni Mabille 1887a:12; Mabille 1887b: 138, pl. 2, figs 12 and 13; Dautzenberg and Fischer 1905:171

Pollicaria rochebruni - Kobelt 1902: 290; Kongim et al. 2013: 35, figs 5D and 5E

Hybocystis crossei Dautzenberg and d’Hamonville 1887: 220, pl. 8, fig. 4; Kobelt and Möllendorf 1899: 137; Kobelt 1902: 290; Dautzenberg and Fischer 1905:171

Pollicaria crossei - Kongim et al. 2013: 37, fig. 5F

Hybocystis gravida - Pain 1974: 174.

Pollicaria gravida - Kongim et al. 2010: 127 ("big brown shell")

Type Designation and locality.

Lectotype MNHN 21305, Tonkin. Paralectotypes MNHN 25855, Tonkin ( Kongim et al. 2013).

Material examined.

All material from Vietnam / Tonkin Province. The number in parentheses is the number of shells from each lot assigned to the species. Locality names have been corrected wherever possible. - CM 155301, south of QL279, Thẩm Dương, Văn Bàn District, Lao Cai (7); CM 155302, Vư ờn quốc gia Cúc Phương, Lạc Sơn District, Hòa Bình (3); CM 155303, south of QL279, Thẩm Dương, Văn Bàn District, Lao Cai (7); CM 155304, limestone mountain at bridge into Tan Moui, near intersection of QL279 and DT234B, southwest of Chi Lăng, Lạng Sơn (6); CM 155305, ca. 60 m north of the intersection of QL1A and DT234B, Chi Lăng, Lạng Sơn (6); CM 155306, limestone mountain off QL279 at H9/155 road marker, ca. 1.1 km southwest of Dong Mo and 0.9 km southwest of Chi Lăng, Lạng Sơn (1); CM 155307, Công An huyện Cao Phong at QL6, Cao Phong, Hòa Bình (15); FLMNH 130259, Thất Khê (4); FLMNH 130265, Phu Ly (3); FLMNH 130623, Thái Nguyên (1); FLMNH 130258, Bắc Kạn (3); FLMNH 130261, Thái Nguyên (3); FLMNH 130262, Thái Nguyên (3); FLMNH 130624, Phi Mi (1); FLMNH 130260, Thái Nguyên (2); FLMNH 130268 (1); FLMNH 243794, Thái Nguyên (2); FLMNH 271764, Ninh Bình Province, Cúc Phương National Park, path to fairy cave, primary forest (1); FLMNH 164619, Thái Nguyên (2); FLMNH 164620, Gia Phu (2); FLMNH 164621, Pak-Kha (2); FLMNH 164622, Thất Khê (3); FLMNH 164623, Chợ Rã (4); FLMNH 130267 (2); FLMNH 242525 (2); FLMNH 192609, Thất Khê (6); FLMNH 130266 (1); MCZ 180001, vicinity of Lake Ba Bể (2); MCZ 180002 (2); MCZ 180003, Thất Khê (2); MCZ 180004, vicinity of Lake Ba Bể (3); MCZ 180005, Thái Nguyên (1); MCZ 180006, Thái Nguyên (4); MCZ 180007, Pak-Kha (4); MCZ 180008, Bảo Lạc (2); MCZ 180009, Pak-Kha (1); MCZ 197272, Pak-Kha (4); MCZ 380546 (1); USNM 207972, Lào Cai (1); USNM 207973, Lào Cai (1); USNM 207974, Chợ Rã (1); USNM 207975, Bắc Kạn (1); USNM 207976, Chợ Rã (1); USNM 207977, Chợ Rã (1); USNM 207978, Muong (1); USNM 207979, Muong (1); USNM 207980, Vân Sơn (1); USNM 207981, Vân Sơn (1); USNM 220045, Ba Bể (3); USNM 335963, Bắc Kạn (2).

Literature records

(not examined). All from Vietnam, taken from Kongim et al. (2013). CUMZ 1523, Phong Na National Park, Quảng Bình; CUMZ 1532, Cúc Phương National Park, Ninh Bình; CUMZ 1539, Phong Na National Park, Quảng Bình; CUMZ 1552, Phong Na National Park, Quảng Bình; CUMZ 1556, Bạch Mã National Park; CUMZ 1568, Phong Na National Park, Quảng Bình; CUMZ 1568, Cúc Phương National Park, Ninh Bình; CUMZ 1573, Cúc Phương National Park, Ninh Bình; CUMZ 1587, Cúc Phương National Park, Ninh Bình; CUMZ 1589, Khe Sen, Đà Nẵng; CUMZ 1594, Hữu Liên Nature preserve; MNHN 21304, Than Moi, Tonkin; RBINS 525390, Than Moi, Tonkin.

Description.

Pupoid shell, to 45 mm length and 20 mm diameter, color varying from tan to orange, reddish-brown, and dark brown, possibly dark purple. Old specimens are often finely pitted. Whorls 5-7, transverse growth lines present, sutures linear and slightly impressed, apex obtuse and occasionally distorted to the left (assuming standard anatomical position), spire short. Penultimate body whorl may appear inflated relative to whorls on either side. Aperture circular with a right posterior triangular breathing structure. Peristome thickened, white to shell colored, with a thin parietal declining shoulder inside; umbilicus narrow. Operculum concentric, thick, and calcareous.

Radula with teeth in a 2-1-1-1-2 arrangement, based on the figure in Kongim et al. (2013: Figure 6E). Central tooth with three cusps, the middle one longer that the others. Lateral teeth with one large cusp and one smaller cusp on the central side. Marginals with one large central cusp flanked by one smaller cusp on each time. Kongim et al. (2013) described the radula as having more cusps per tooth than illustrated.

Distribution.

Northern Vietnam south to Đà Nẵng (Figure 5). Possibly in Guangxi autonomous region and Yunnan Province, China.

Discussion.

By synonymizing Pollicaria rochebruni and Pollicaria crossei , we suggest that all Pollicaria specimens from Vietnam that possess an interiorly shouldered peristome are a single species, excluding some smaller (<35 mm) individuals with bright orange shells. We found live specimens of Pollicaria rochebruni at the bases of and in the valleys between karst outcrops in northern Vietnam. Reports from local farmers indicated that snails are more abundant during the spring rains, when native residents eat them as a delicacy. Some Chinese shells found for sale on the Internet are consistent morphologically with Pollicaria rochebruni but may represent a separate species.