Geminitor kullaensis, Hyman & Köhler, 2022

Hyman, Isabel T. & Köhler, Frank, 2022, Homoplasy in shells discombobulated the taxonomy: revision of the larger helicarionid land snails of northern Queensland, Australia (Stylommatophora: Helicarionidae), Journal of Natural History 56 (41 - 44), pp. 1727-1799 : 1765-1767

Geminitor kullaensis sp. nov.

( Figures 4 , 6 (d), 11)

Etymology

Named for KULLA ( McIlwraith Range ) National Park, where the species is found. KULLA is an acronym for Kaanju, Umpila, Lama Lama and Ayapathu, referring to the four clan groups who are the traditional owners of the land.

Material examined

Holotype. QM MO85998 , Coen, c. 38 km SSE at Kendle R. Crossing (14.26°S, 143.29°E), Qld , Australia, R. and N. Crookshanks, 26 September 2000.

Paratypes. QM MO 68617 (same data as holotype) .

Other material. See Table 1 .

Diagnosis

External morphology. Shell ( Figure 6 (d)) small (SW 10.6 mm), pale gold, 5.9 whorls, subdiscoidal with a moderately elevated spire, whorls rounded; umbilicus narrow, sealed; protoconch with moderately coarse spiral grooves, becoming finer and more crowded on teleoconch. Body white (in alcohol). Mantle lobes small; shell lappets moderately large, triangular, tapering. Caudal horn moderately large.

Genital anatomy. Genitalia ( Figure 11 ) with short vagina; bursa copulatrix moderately short, duct broad basally, internally with v-shaped ridges, bursa oval. Free oviduct very long. Penial complex very long (caecum sits behind albumen gland), penis internally with two chambers, similar in length; distal portion sculptured with two high, raised longitudinal pilasters, joined together proximally, tapering distally; proximal portion sculptured with transverse elongate plates arranged like petals around opening to epiphallus; 30% enclosed in penial tunica. Epiphallus enters penis through simple pore; epiphallus equal in length to penis, epiphallus 2 similar in width to penis, gradually narrowing, epiphallus 1 narrow; epiphallus 1 longer than epiphallus 2; long epiphallic caecum present, with basal attachment of the penial retractor muscle; flagellum moderately short, slender, without obvious internal cryptae.

Remarks

Geminitor kullaensis was preliminarily identified as Helicarionidae CY 13 through curatorial work and is known from south of Coen to the McIlwraith Range in northern Qld ( Figure 4 ). An additional single subadult specimen from 300 km farther south at Bloomfield River was tentatively identified as G. kullaensis . If this identification is correct, the range of G. kullaensis is significantly expanded, being found both north and south of the Normanby Basin. However, the distribution of this species needs to be confirmed with adult material. According to our phylogenetic analysis (which, however, excludes G. macveae ), the nearest relative is another new species, G. wenlockensis from farther north at Wenlock River. Geminitor kullaensis can be clearly identified as belonging to the genus Geminitor by its two-chambered penis and its long caecum with basal attachment of the penial retractor muscle. It differs from its congeners in its much longer penial complex, with a longer proximal penial chamber. Geminitor kullaensis can be distinguished from G. villaris , G. macveae and G. wenlockensis by its larger size, and from G. laura by its slightly smaller size and subdiscoidal rather than discoidal shell.

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Figures

Figure 4. Distribution map. Grey symbols: Geminitor. Blue symbols: Pravonitor. Red symbols: Elatonitor. Biogeographic barriers are marked in black; A = Normanby Basin, B = Black Mountain Corridor, and C = Atherton Tableland.

Figure 6. Shells of Geminitor. a) Geminitor laura, AM C.474954, Lakeland Downs. b) Geminitor villaris, QM MO20887, Mt Cook. c) Geminitor villaris, QM MO21256, Starcke. d) Geminitor kullaensis, QM MO30875, McIlwraith Range. e) Geminitor macveae, QM MO20694 (paratype). f) Geminitor wenlockensis, QM MO86000 (H), Wenlock River. Scale bar: 5 mm. Photographs by F. Köhler ((a-b), d, f), J. Caiza (c), and G. Thompson (e).

Figure 11. Genitalia of Geminitor kullaensis, QM MO61687, Coen. a) Reproductive system. b) Penis interior. Arrows mark the boundaries of the upper penial chamber. Scale bars: 1 mm.