New Brazilian species of troglobiont gastropod (cavernicolous) – Spiripockia punctata

The Discovery was made in 2005 by the speleobiologists Dr. Eleonora Trajano (Laboratório de Fauna Subterrânea do IB-USP) and Dr. Maria Elina Bichuette (Laboratório de Estudos Subterrâneos da UFSCar) in a cave from Serra Ramalho, SW Bahia, Brazil.

The recent description “A new genus and species of cavernicolous Pomatiopsidae (Mollusca, Caenogastropoda) in Bahia, Brazil”, authored by researcher Luiz Ricardo L. Simone, an expert on molluscs of the Museum of Zoology of the University of São Paulo, was published in Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia – Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo – Volume 52(40):515‑524, 2012.

Spiripockia punctata is a new genus and species of Pomatiopsidae found in a cave from Serra Ramalho, SW Bahia, Brazil. The taxon is troglobiont (restricted to subterranean realm), and is characterized by the shell weakly elongated, fragile, translucent, normally sculptured by pustules with periostracum hair on tip of pustules; peristome highly expanded; umbilicus opened; radular rachidian with 6 apical and 3 pairs of lateral cusps; osphradium short, arched; gill filaments with rounded tip; prostate flattened, with vas deferens inserting subterminally; penis duct narrow and weakly sinuous; pallial oviduct simple anteriorly, possessing convoluted by pass connecting base of bulged portion of transition between visceral and pallial oviducts with base of seminal receptacle; spermathecal duct complete, originated from albumen gland. The description of this endemic species may raise protective environmental actions to that cave and to the Serra Ramalho Karst area.

Download PDF Document: A new genus and species of cavernicolous Pomatiopsidae (Mollusca, Caenogastropoda) in Bahia, Brazil

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