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| Mucronaria (Mucronaria) kartvelica Mumladze, Grego & Szekeres, 2023 |
Abstract
The Caucasus ecoregion is one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in western Eurasia. Georgia is situated in the middle of this area, between the ranges of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus, a position providing exceptionally balanced environmental conditions for its flora and fauna. Animal groups of low mobility, such as land snails, are important indicators of the past and present geographic and climatic events shaping these unique ecosystems. We give an overview of the land snail family Clausiliidae in Georgia that includes 30 species, among which eight are endemic to this country. Their distribution areas are reassessed in the light of novel georeferenced occurrence data resulting from recent field work. Aspects of the origin, diversity, habitat requirements and conservation status of the Georgian Clausiliidae fauna are discussed. Additionally, Mucronaria (Mucronaria) kartvelica sp. n. is described from the Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti Region.
Key words: Caucasus, endemisms, land snails, new species, zoogeography
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| Mucronaria (Mucronaria) kartvelica sp. n., holotype (ISU TM-T003-H). Scale bar: 3 mm. |
Mucronaria (Mucronaria) kartvelicasp. n.
Differential diagnosis: The reduced, diffuse palatal plicae and the less elongate shell shape distinguish the new species from members of the subgenus Mucronaria (Index) Boettger, 1877 and position it in the subgenus Mucronaria (Mucronaria) Boettger, 1877. Mucronaria (M.) kartvelica sp. n. differs from all other species of its subgenus by the slender and strongly costate shell. By contrast, Mucronaria (M.) acuminata has ventricose shell with glossy, densely striate surface and very weak lamella superior, Mucronaria (M.) duboisi has strong, to the peristome margin extended lamella inferior and long, well outlined palatal plicae, whereas Mucronaria (M.) strauchi (Boettger, 1878) is less elongate, more densely costate, and its ribs are more widely spaced on the neck than on the rest of the last whorl.
Etymology: The name of the new species refers to its occurrence in Sa-kartvelo (native historic name for Georgia).
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| The habitat (A) and a live individual (B) of Mucronaria (Mucronaria) kartvelica sp. n. |
Levan Mumladze, Jozef Grego and Miklós Szekeres. 2023. The Land Snail Family Clausiliidae (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Stylommatophora) in Georgia: Overview, Novel Records and A New Species. Caucasiana. 2: 29-61. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/caucasiana.2.e101013
