Metafruticicola crassicosta Bank, Gittenberger & Neubert, 2013

Bitzilekis, Eleftherios, Vardinoyannis, Katerina & Mylonas, Moisis, 2023, A new species of Metafruticicola (Gastropoda, Hygromiidae) from the Aegean Archipelago and new anatomical and distributional data on some congeneric species, European Journal of Taxonomy 879 (1), pp. 1-23 : 12-14

Metafruticicola crassicosta Bank, Gittenberger & Neubert, 2013

Fig. 5

Material examined

GREECE – Crete, Chania province • 29 shells, 7 specs in 75% alcohol, 4 dissections; Agioi Theodoroi islet; 35.5357° N, 23.9299° E; 31 Mar. 2018; E. Bitzilekis leg; NHMC 50.43845

Locus typicus

Agioi Theodoroi Islet (Chania, Crete, Greece).

Description

SHELL. Shell description is given by Bank et al. (2013: 81).

SHELL DIMENSIONS (n = 29). H 7.54–11.70 mm (mean = 9.1 mm); D 11.81–15.60 mm (mean = 13.71 mm); W 44/s–52/s (mean = 47/8).

GENITALIA ( Fig. 5B–C ). The reproductive system and its inner structures are given here for the first time. Flagellum long, evenly thin, 1.5 times as long as epiphallus. Epiphallus almost as thin as flagellum. Penial retractor attached in the middle of the epiphallus. Penis cylindrical, much thicker and quite distinct from the epiphallus and approximately half the size of epiphallus. Inside the penis there is a smooth conical penial papilla which is thick at the base and thin at the edge. Epiphallic pore opens in the center of the slender edge. Inner penial walls have irregular grooves ( Fig. 5C ). Vas deferens very slender. Vagina thin and short, half to one third the length of the penis and twice the width of epiphallus. Base of the duct of the gametolytic gland as broad as the penis, thick-walled, and inside its thickened base there are some longitudinal ridges ( Fig. 5C ). Free oviduct as long as the penis and half the width of the base of the duct of the gametolytic gland. Gametolytic gland oval-shaped.

Remarks

The shell measurements provided here have a wider range than those given by Bank et al. (2013) and are closer to the actual shell diversity of the species due to the high number of examined specimens.

The genitalia and penial papilla of M. crassicosta are very similar to those of M. sublecta . In both species the penial papilla has a conical shape, thicker at the base and thin at the edge. Most differences in the shape of the penial papillae and the inner surface of the penis may be attributed to the fact that the examined specimens of M. crassicosta were not fully mature. M. crassicosta is endemic to Agioi Theodoroi Islet and lives sympatrically only with M. noverca .

Figures

Fig. 5. Metafruticicola (Cretigena) crassicosta Bank, Gittenberger & Neubert, 2013, Greece, Crete, Chania province, Agioi Theodoroi Islet (NHMC 50.43845). A. Shell. B. General view of genitalia. C. Internal structure of penis, penial papilla and the base of the duct of the gametolytic gland. Abbreviations: see Material and methods.