ISSN 2755-3531
Peter Tattersfield, Juan Sebastián Torres Alba & Michal Horsák
Abstract. New records for Vertigo angustior and four additional species are reported from a site at Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y las Villas in Jaén, Andalucía, Spain. This is the most southerly record for V. angustior in Spain and probably Europe. The wider distribution and habitat associations of V. angustior in Spain and elsewhere in Europe is discussed. The presence of Euconulus alderi in the Iberian Peninsula is confirmed, with records in León, Asturias, and Andalucía; its identification, status and distribution are discussed.
Se dan a conocer nuevos registros de Vertigo angustior, junto con otras cuatro especies de una localidad en las Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas en Jaén, Andalucía, España. Siendo éste el registro más meridional de V. angustior para España y probablemente para Europa. Se discute la amplitud de su distribución así como las asociaciones de hábitat de V. angustior en España y otras partes de Europa. Se confirma la presencia de Euconulus alderi en la Península Ibérica, con registros en León, Asturias y Andalucía; se discute su identificación, estatus y distribución.
Key words. Jaén; Vertiginidae; Euconulidae; Parque Natural; Annex II; Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y las Villas
Publication date. 1 January 2025
DOI. https://doi.org/10.61733/jconch/4533
Megalobulimus arapotiensis Morretes, 1952 is a junior synonym of M. elongatus (Bequaert, 1948)
Fernanda S. Silva
Abstract. The status of the Megalobulimus arapotiensis is reassessed. A conchological comparison of this species and M. elongatus reveals no significant differences. The morphology of M. arapotiensis falls within the range of variability known in M. elongatus. These similarities suggest that M. arapotiensis should be treated as a junior synonym of M. elongatus. All known occurrences of both taxa are mapped.
Key words. New synonym, Gastropoda, Strophocheilidae, Megalobuliminae
Publication date. 5 January 2025
DOI. https://doi.org/10.61733/jconch/4534
Vanja Marković, Vukašin Gojšina, Jelena Tomović, Boris Novaković, Mihailo Vujić, Marija Ilić, Ivana Živić, Milenka Božanić & Anđelina Tatović
Abstract. Populations of Theodoxus transversalis, striped nerite, have declined in recent decades, arguably due to negative anthropogenic impacts on their habitats. The species is classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and there are generally few reports of its recent occurrence. This is especially true for the Western Balkans and Serbia, where data on the distribution of T. transversalis are more than a decade old. Herein, we present the latest data based on an extensive field study of this species conducted in 2023 and 2024. The Velika Morava-Južna Morava-Nišava catchment and ecoregion (ER) 5 were confirmed as the most important refugium for this rare snail in the investigated region. Of particular interest are the findings of an abundant population from the Drina River (where the species has not been reported for 15 years), from the lower Serbian section of the Danube (reports from the Danube are 30 years old), and the discovery of a new population from the Zapadna Morava River 100 km upstream from the nearest known population. Our results show considerable progress in the restoration of the former range of T. transversalis in the Western Balkans, although stable populations still appear to be localized. There is also a possibility that this species is spreading into new areas, which is a possibility for the Zapadna Morava River catchment. While it appears that T. transversalis is more resilient to negative anthropogenic impacts than previously described in the available literature, a more detailed ecological and genetic study should shed more light on the presence and prospects of the species in the region.
Key words. Striped nerite, geographic distribution, new findings, ecoregions, Serbia
Publication date. 26 January 2025
DOI. https://doi.org/10.61733/jconch/4535
Reflections on 50 years of Land Snails in Archaeology
Matt Law
Abstract. When J.G. Evans’s Land Snails in Archaeology was published in 1972, it established a new understanding of the environmental history of prehistoric archaeological sites in southern Britain and in the process introduced archaeologists to the value of studying assemblages of land snail shells from archaeological deposits. This paper reflects on the impact of the book, reviews developments in the discipline over the intervening half century, and proposes some future directions for the practice of archaeological land-snail analyses.
Key words. Archaeology, United Kingdom, J.G. Evans, land snails
Publication date. 6 February 2025
DOI. https://doi.org/10.61733/jconch/4537
Marijn T. Roosen, Rodrigo B. Salvador & Abraham S.H. Breure
Abstract. With this study, we continue the revision of the genera of Scolodontidae (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora), focusing on the taxa with tightly coiled, multiwhorled shells that often bear apertural and/or internal barriers. We analysed type material from all type species and studied some misclassified Charopidae and Streptaxidae. We provide redescriptions and better circumscription of the following Scolodontid taxa: Entodina Ancey, 1887, Systrophia L. Pfeiffer, 1855, and Zilchistrophia Weyrauch, 1960. Martinella Jousseaume, 1887 is transferred from Streptaxidae to Scolodontidae, and the extinct Patagocharopa Miquel & P.E. Rodriguez, 2016 is transferred from Charopidae; Patagocharopa, dating from the Miocene, represents the earliest fossil record of the family. Keranella gen. nov. and Smenodonta gen. nov. are erected. The genera Polygyratia J.E. Gray, 1847 and Ridleyconcha Christensen, 2020, despite recently revised, are also included here for comparison with the other taxa.
Key words. Land snails, Neotropics, Scolodontina, taxonomy, type specimens, Keranella gen. nov., Smenodonta gen. nov.
Publication date. 9 February 2025
DOI. https://doi.org/10.61733/jconch/4536
Chirasak Sutcharit, Sothearen Thi, Nasak Chantha, Phyroum Chourn, Chhin Sophea, Ekgachai Jeratthitikul, Arthit Pholyotha, Warut Siriwut, Ruttapon Srisonchai & Somsak Panha
Abstract. Specimens of a new species of hypselostomatid microsnail, Clostophis udayaditinus Sutcharit & Panha, n. sp., were collected from the limestone hills area in Battambang Province, western Cambodia. Besides being a species new to science, this discovery represents a new country record for the genus. The new species differs from all other congeners by its concave-conical shell, with apertural dentition four in number, and hooked parietal and columellar lamellae. Living snails were found crawling on the walls in a cave, and the snails have a colourless, semitransparent soft body.
Key words. Angkor Kingdom, endemic species, limestone, pulmonates, taxonomy
Publication date. 23 February 2025
DOI. https://doi.org/10.61733/jconch/4538
Victor Cadet & Nicolas Huet
Abstract. Species of the genus Peronia Fleming 1822 are known from several islands in the Indian Ocean, including Mauritius, but none has been reported from Reunion Island. We searched three rocky shore areas on Reunion Island for semi-marine slugs belonging to this genus and found two species: P. peronii (Cuvier, 1804) and P. verruculata (Cuvier, 1830). The late detection of the genus Peronia on Reunion Island may be due to less extensive survey work compared to neighbouring islands.
Publication date. 23 February 2025
DOI. https://doi.org/10.61733/jconch/4539
Mihailo Vujić & Vukašin Gojšina
Abstract. We present the first record of a Rumina decollata (Linnaeus, 1758) population in the city of Pančevo, Serbia. The population lives in a small green area with residential buildings, where it was found along a footpath and at the base of buildings. We discuss the habitat and climate at the locality and document the anatomy and morphology of this R. decollata population. Finally, we reflect about potential pathways of introduction of this population.
Key words. Achatinoidea, allochthonous species, Balkans, colonisation, introduction, Rumininae
Publication date. 24 February 2025
DOI. https://doi.org/10.61733/jconch/4540
Louis Bronne, Tim Vochten & Johann Delcourt
Abstract. Semilimax pyrenaicus, a terrestrial gastropod with a primarily Lusitanian distribution, is mainly confined to the Pyrenees and Ireland, with a few isolated populations in western France. It was first recorded in Schoten (Belgium) in February 2024. Further investigations confirmed the presence of a well-established, localized population, with different age classes, ranging from early juveniles to adults. The species identification was confirmed through genetic analysis. The occurrence of the population near two garden centers suggests a recent introduction via human-mediated pathways, such as the horticultural trade. This finding also highlights the significant role of citizen science in documenting new occurrences.
Key words. Introduction pathways, genetic identification, plant trade, citizen science
Publication date. 25 February 2025