Xeroplexa strucki

Xeroplexa strucki is a species of air-breathing land snail, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Geomitridae.[1] Although named by Maltzan (1886), no differences from X. olisippensis were indicated and Gittenberger (1993: 285[2]) therefore treated them as synonyms. However, the present study has revealed that the W. Algarve populations named as strucki and similar snails from the coast of W. Baixo Alentejo differ consistently in having a much shorter penial flagellum.[3]

Xeroplexa strucki
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Gastropoda
Subclass: Heterobranchia
Superorder: Eupulmonata
Order: Stylommatophora
Family: Geomitridae
Genus: Xeroplexa
Species:
X. strucki
Binomial name
Xeroplexa strucki
(Maltzan, 1886)
Synonyms
  • Candidula strucki (Maltzan, 1886)

Description

Much like some populations of X. olisippensis in shell characters, being rather small and typically with a very narrow or narrow umbilicus, but several populations have the umbilicus larger. Shells of this species were figured as X. olisippensis by several authors.[3]

Distribution

Endemic in southwestern Portugal where known only in W. Algarve (over limestone and on sandy coastal slopes) and on coastal sands of W. Baixo Alentejo northwards to Costa de San André.

References
  1. Chueca, Luis J.; Gómez-Moliner, Benjamín J.; Madeira, María José; Pfenninger, Markus (2018). "Molecular phylogeny of Candidula (Geomitridae) land snails inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear markers reveals the polyphyly of the genus". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 118: 357–368. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2017.10.022. PMID 29107619.
  2. Gittenberger, Edumnd (1993). "Digging in the grave-yard of synonymy, in search of Portuguese species of Candidula Kobelt, 1871 (Mollusca: Gastropoda Pulmonata: Hygromiidae)". Zoologische Mededelingen, Leiden. 67 (17): 283–293.
  3. Holyoak, David T.; Holyoak, Geraldine A. (2014). "A review of the genus Candidula in Portugal with notes on other populations in western Europe (Gastropoda, Pulmonata: Hygromiidae)". Journal of Conchology. 41: 629–672.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.