Leptoconchus intalpina, Gittenberger, 2011

Gittenberger, Adriaan Gittenberger Edmund, 2011, Cryptic, adaptive radiation of endoparasitic snails: sibling species of Leptoconchus (Gastropoda: Coralliophilidae) in corals, Organisms Diversity & Evolution 11 (1), pp. 21-41 : 38-39

Leptoconchus intalpina sp. nov.

( Figs. 3 , 36–38)

Etymology. The specific epithet reflects that the species has been found exclusively in corals of Polyphyllia talpina . For the purposes of nomenclature, it is herewith declared (under ICZN 1999 Article 26) as not to be treated as a Greek, Latin or latinized word; thus, the spelling presented here is to remain unchanged.

Type material. Holotype female ( RMNH 102712 ), found in the mushroom coral Polyphyllia talpina ; Palau, NE of Ngeremdiu , Lighthouse Reef, forereef, 07°16′30″N 134°27′25″E.

Paratypes. Palau. Type locality (102713*/1sn: f+e 2sh: m in same coral as holotype, 102714/4sn: 1m &3f+e); NE of Ngeremdiu , Lighthouse Reef, forereef, 07°16′14″N 134° 27′21″E ( RMNH 102715 /3sn: 2m &1f+e); do., 07°16′47″N 134°27′50″E ( RMNH 102716 /2sn: m&f+e) .

Indonesia. N Sulawesi: off Manado, Bunaken Island , 01° 39′09″N 124°42′17″E ( RMNH 90059 */1sn: m) .

SW Sulawesi, Spermonde Archipelago : W Bona Baku Reef , 05°07′56″S 119°21′39″E ( RMNH 87863 */1sh: f, 87865/ 1sn: m 1sh: f, 87866/1sn: f, 87867/1sn: f, 90084*/1sn: f, 90085/2sn: 2f&e 1sh: m, 90086/1sn: f); W Samalona Island, 05°07′31″S 119°20′31″E ( RMNH 90043 /2sn: m&f+e); SW Kudingareng Keke Island, 05°06′21″S 119°17′03″E ( RMNH 90094 /1sn: f 1sh: m); NW Kapodasang Reef, 05°05′38″S 119° 14′45″E ( RMNH 90070 /1sn: f) .

Diagnosis. Among the Leptoconchus species with reduced and variable morphological characters and associated with fungiid corals, L. intalpina sp. nov. is differentiated by a unique combination of nucleotides in the Cytochrome Oxidase I barcoding sequence ( GB: EU215845– EU215847, EU215860), as indicated by underlined letters in Fig. 48 .

Shell. Holotype female (Figs. 36, 37) H 16.2 mm, W 29.6 mm (largest female); columellar callus covering about half surface of last whorl. In shells of both sexes, V-shaped basal segment of outer lip with short part on columellar side and longer part on palatal side. Largest male shell (Fig. 38), with slightly protruding columellar shield, measures H 13.9 mm, W 16.0 mm. Apical part of female shell in line with apertural edge or slightly below (Fig. 36), apex of male shell can protrude slightly above apertural edge (Fig. 38).

Habitat. The snails and their egg capsules were found at 5–14 m depth, exclusively with the mushroom coral species Polyphyllia talpina (Lamarck, 1801) . The siphon pores are located on the upper side of the corals.

Distribution. The range of Leptoconchus intalpina extends from Palau to Indonesia.

Figures

Fig. 3 Cytochrome Oxidase I phylogeny reconstruction of fungiidassociated Leptoconchus species, showing strict consensus of five trees, i.e. the two most parsimonious trees resulting from a heuristic search, and the three 50% consensus trees with compatible groupings

Fig. 48 Partial Cytochrome Oxidase I sequences for 14 species of Leptoconchus; for each species, the respective combination of underlined nucleotides is considered diagnostic