Plekocheilus (Aeropictus) veranyi (Pfeiffer, 1848)

Borrero, Francisco J. & Breure, Abraham S. H., 2011, The Amphibulimidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Orthalicoidea) from Colombia and adjacent areas, Zootaxa 3054, pp. 1-59 : 12

Plekocheilus (Aeropictus) veranyi (Pfeiffer, 1848)

Bulimus veranyi Pfeiffer 1848a: 230 . Type locality: Venezuela, Edo. Mérida, Chachopo. Lectotype BMNH 1975297 ( Breure 1978). Plekocheilus (Aeropictus) veranyi (Pfeiffer) ; Tello 1975: 201. Plekocheilus veranyi (Pfeiffer) ; Richardson 1995: 323 (references, synonymy; see remarks).

Plekocheilus (Orcesiellus) succinoides [sic] (Petit); Tello 1975: 201.

Bulimus scytodes Pfeiffer 1853: 256 . Type locality: Andes of Colombia. Type material: not located.

Material. Venezuela, Barinas, Serranía de Santo Domingo, Jackson Colln, 3000 ft [~ 1000 m, in error?]: DMNH 148721, USNM 109523 (Gabaldon leg., 3000 m); Mérida, Chachopo: BMNH; between Chachopo and Timote, C. Beets leg./1953: RMNH; Mérida, Jackson Colln: DMNH 160801;?Mérida, Escorial Mountains, A. Gabaldon & sons leg.: USNM 206502 (8400 ft [~ 2520 m]), USNM 206504 (9600 ft [~ 2880 m]); Glorial: DMNH 141740; “Mérida:” UMMZ 147737 (ex Rolle); “Menda” (sic): UMMZ 147736, 242815;?Miranda, Caracas, ex M.L. Jaume: CMC C13777.?, San Domingo: UMMZ 242814 (Marsh Colln), UMMZ 147735; “ Venezuela:” CMC C11004–11006, USNM 109526; New Granada: ANSP 66405, ANSP 66408, BMNH (ex Cuming), ZMUZ 511641 [not seen], ZMUZ 511642 [not seen].

Altitudinal range. The localities reported here range between 2520 and 3000 m (see remarks).

Remarks. The date of first publication mentioned by Richardson (1995) is erroneous. He cited “1847 Philippi, Abbild. Beschr. neuer Conchyl. 3: 20, pl. 8 figs 5, 9 (1851)”. However, P. veranyi is mentioned on page 36, under the heading “ Bulimus . Tab. VIII. Januar 1849.” Thus the first valid publication was in Pfeiffer (1848a). Of the taxa grouped under this species by Richardson (1995: 324), we consider P. cathcartiae and P. quadricolor to be distinct species.

This species is very similar to P. delicatus , but differs in being decidedly smaller. Colombian material, labeled as P. veranyi , should all be considered P. delicatus . Two reasons lead us to believe that the altitude of DMNH 148721 (3000 ft) may be in error: (1) Another lot from the same location (USNM 109523) is clearly labeled with an elevation of 3000 meters; (2) All known species of the subgenus Aeropictus, similar to P. succineoides , are known only from high elevations, mainly páramo (i.e., 2500 m and above); if correct, 3000 ft would be by far the lowest elevation known for any species in this group, which we consider unlikely. We have been unable to trace the localities “Glorial” and “Escorial Mountains;” the latter, may refer to a location near Páramo El Escorial (~ 3000 m), or near the town of El Escorial (~ 3100 m), both within the Sierra Nevada de Mérida. Tello (1975) included P. succinoides [sic] in his list of Venezuelan land snails (cf. Weyrauch), apparently as a misinterpretation of a portion of Weyrauch’s (1967) description of the subgenus Orcesiellus. Contrary to Tello (1975: 201), we consider it likely that the species mentioned from Mérida by this author is P. veranyi (Pfeiffer) .