Laeocathaica dolani (Pilsbry, 1934)

Wu, Min, Shen, Wang & Chen, Zhong-Guang, 2023, Land snail diversity in central China: revision of Laeocathaica Moellendorff, 1899 (Gastropoda, Camaenidae), with descriptions of seven new species, ZooKeys 1154, pp. 49-147 : 49

Laeocathaica dolani (Pilsbry, 1934)

Figs 2A , 5C , 7 , 42A, B , 47C, D , 52F

Cathaica (Laeocathaica) dolani Pilsbry, 1934: 16, pl. 3, fig. 4, 4a-c.

Cathaica dolani - Yen, 1938: 446.

Laeocathaica (Laeocathaica) dolani - Richardson 1983: 78.

Laeocathaica dolani - Chen and Zhang 2004: 335, fig. 328; - Páll-Gergely et al. 2022: 59, fig. 18A.

New material.

HBUMM00069, 6 fma, 3 fma dissected; Kangding , Sichuan Province, near 29.995149°N, 101.967008°E, 1964-VII-16, coll. Chen, D.-N. HBUMM08439, Manai [马耐], Badixiang [巴底乡], Danbaxian (= Danba), Sichuan Province, 31.11276°N 101.885295°E, 2008-VII-18, coll. Di, Zhi-Yong [邸智勇] .

Distribution.

Sichuan: Kangding, Danbaxian (type locality: Rumichangu).

Additional information of shell.

The shell is covered with radially arranged low scales of variable length (~ 25 - ~ 300 µm long) everywhere. The size (esp. length) of scales increase from protoconch to body whorl. Spiral grooves are absent throughout the shell.

General anatomy.

Eversible head wart present but not prominent. Jaw arcuate, with 3-6 projecting ribs.

Anatomy of genital organs.

Penial sheath covering ~ 1/4-1/3 of penis. Penis short, thick, distally expanded. Inside penis, two thick and prominent pilasters fusing into one Y-shaped fork at proximal 1/3-1/2 penis, accompanied with ~ 6 narrower or equally thick pilasters nearby. Pilasters on distal end of penis not merging into thick folds. Vas deferens narrow throughout. Vagina between atrium and dart sac not elongated. Vagina between dart sac and insertion of bursa copulatrix duct ~ 1/2 length of dart sac. Dart sac approximately as long as penis. Love dart ~ 5 mm long, apically with cross-section rhombic. Accessory sac small, internally empty, inserting into dart sac at middle part, opening to distal dart chamber. Mucous glands two (HBUMM00069-spec.1-3), each complicatedly branched. Proximal accessory sac one, large, on right side of dart sac, with an opening leading to dart chamber near its opening. Bursa copulatrix duct basally slightly expanded. Bursa copulatrix elongate, ovate.

Remarks.

In Laeocathaica , Laeocathaica dolani is the only species with only one proximal accessory sac. In addition, this species is unique in the genus that it keeps periostracum scales throughout its lifetime.

Figures

Figure 2. A distribution map of all known species of Laeocathaica Moellendorff, 1899 except L. anceyi (Moellendorff in Ancey, 1889), L. hisanoi Pall-Gergely, 2022, and L. leucorhaphe Moellendorff, 1899 whose precise localities are not known; white dots: the localities where no Laeocathaica species was ever found B distribution of the new species described in this paper, yellow dots: L. qingchuanensis Wu, sp. nov., green dot: L. zhengpingliui Wu, sp. nov., brown dots: L. parapolytyla Wu, sp. nov., white dot: L. qiminglii Wu, sp. nov., pink dot: L. cheni Wu, sp. nov., blue dots: L. qishilii Wu, sp. nov., orange dots: L. nordsiecki Wu, sp. nov. C distribution of L. carinifera (H. Adams, 1870) (green dots), L. qingchuanensis Wu, sp. nov. (yellow dots), and L. stenochone Moellendorff, 1899 (blue dots) D distribution of L. amdoana Moellendorff, 1899 (green dots), L. distinguenda Moellendorff, 1899 (pink dots), and L. tropidorhaphe Moellendorff, 1899 (blue dots) C equivalent to the larger box in (A), B, D equivalent to the smaller box in (A).

Figure 5. A, B Laeocathaica amdoana Moellendorff, 1899 A SMF 8952, lectotype B HBUMM 05640 - spec. 1 C L. dolani (Pilsbry, 1934), HBUMM 00069 - spec. 1 D L. carinalis Chen & Zhang, 2004, HBUMM 08400 - spec. 1.

Figure 7. Genital anatomy of Laeocathaica dolani (Pilsbry, 1934) A general view, HBUMM 08439 - spec. 1 B left view of dart sac apparatus, HBUMM 08439 - spec. 1 C ventral view of dart sac apparatus, HBUMM 00069 - spec. 1. Abbreviations: AS - accessory sac; At - atrium; BC - bursa copulatrix; BCD - bursa copulatrix duct; DS - dart sac; DtC - a chamber containing love dart; Ep - epiphallus; FO - free oviduct; MG - mucous glands; P - penis; PAS - proximal accessory sac; PR - penial retractor muscle; PS - penial sheath; Va - vagina; VD - vas deferens. Asterisk * indicates the opening of proximal accessory sac.

Figure 42. Internal view of penis A, B Laeocathaica dolani (Pilsbry, 1934), HBUMM 00069 - spec. 1 A general view B proximal penis C L. christinae (H. Adams, 1870), HBUMM 01251 a-spec. 1, general view D L. phaeomphala Moellendorff, 1899, HBUMM 05433 - spec. 1 E L. odophora Moellendorff, 1899, HBUMM 08430 - spec. 1 F L. pewzowi Moellendorff, 1899, ZIN RAS No. 4, " Aegista pewzowi Schalf. " G, H L. parapolytyla Wu, sp. nov., HBUMM 06640 - spec. 1, holotype G general view H proximal part. Arrows indicate the position where two penial internal pilasters fuse into one distal pilaster.

Figure 47. SEM micrographs A, B Laeocathaica odophora Moellendorff, 1899, HBUMM 08430 A protoconch B teleoconch C, D L. dolani (Pilsbry, 1934), HBUMM 08439 C protoconch D teleoconch E, F L. nordsiecki Wu, sp. nov., HBUMM 08446, paratype, subadult E protoconch F teleoconch G, H L. pewzowi Moellendorff, 1899, HBUMM 08452 G protoconch H teleoconch I, J L. carinalis Chen & Zhang, 2004, HBUMM 08453 I protoconch J teleoconch K, L L. zhengpingliui Wu, sp. nov., HBUMM 05553 - spec. 2, paratype, juvenile K protoconch L teleoconch.

Figure 52. Schematics of terminal genitalia of some dart-sac-bearing camaenids A Cathaica fasciola (Draparnaud, 1801) (stylized pattern from HBUMM 8142 - spec. 1 - 15, 9 fma; Qingyang, Gansu, 35.738 ° N, 107.701 ° E, 1353 m a. s. l.; coll. Sheng, X. - F., 2017 - VII) B " Cathaica " Cathaica pulveratricula (Martens, 1882) (stylized pattern from HBUMM 08208), one proximal accessory sac is present at the left side of dart sac C Laeocathaica spp. with two proximal accessory sacs at both sides of dart sac D L. phaeomphala Moellendorff, 1899, without proximal accessory sac and with elongated vagina above dart sac E L. amdoana Moellendorff, 1899, with two tiny proximal accessory sacs and with elongated vagina above dart sac F L. dolani (Pilsbry, 1934), with a proximal accessory sac at the right side of dart sac. Notes: any fleshy septum inside dart sac chamber is not shown; red dots indicate openings of proximal accessory sac. Abbreviations: AS - accessory sac; DS - dart sac; DSC - dart sac chamber; DtC - a chamber containing love dart; MG - mucous glands; PAS - proximal accessory sac; PR - penial retractor muscle; PS - penial sheath; Va - vagina.