Plekocheilus (Eurytus) floccosus (Spix in Wagner, 1827)

Breure, Abraham S. H. & Avila, Valentin Mogollon, 2016, Synopsis of Central Andean Orthalicoid land snails (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora), excluding Bulimulidae, ZooKeys 588, pp. 1-199 : 11-12

Taxon classification Animalia Stylommatophora Amphibulimidae

Plekocheilus (Eurytus) floccosus (Spix in Wagner, 1827) Figs 3 C–E, 13 A–B, 14, 88B

Achatina floccosa Spix in Wagner 1827: 10, pl. 9 figs 3-4.

Helix pentadina d’Orbigny 1835: 8.

Bulimus lacrimosus Heimburg 1884: 92; Heimburg 1887: 1, pl. 1 fig. 1.

Plecocheilus pentadinus ; Zischka 1953: 78.

Plekocheilus floccosus ; Richardson 1995: 311 (references, synonymy).

Plekocheilus (Eurytus) floccosus ; Ramírez et al. 2003: 281.

Plekocheilus (Eurytus) lacrimosus ; Ramírez et al. 2003: 281.

Type locality.

"sylvis Provinciarum septemtrionalium Brasiliae".

Type material.

ZSM 20020116 (1), syntype.

Additional material.

MNHN 28258, holotype of Helix pentadina d’Orbigny.

Diagnosis.

Shell relatively large, sculptured with closely and coarsely, partly bifurcating plicae, and dense granulation; suture hardly descending in front, aperture elongate-ovate, peristome narrowly expanded below.

Dimensions.

Shell height 60.0, diameter 27.4 mm.

Distribution.

Ecuador, Prov. Napo, 120 km SE Quito ( Weyrauch 1967). Peru, Dept. San Martin, Tingo Maria; ibid., Pucallpa; ibid., Yarinacocha ( Breure 1978). Bolivia, Dept. Cochabamba, Prov. Chaparé. Brazil ( Simone 2006).

Ecoregion.

Eastern Cordillera real montane forests [NT0121], Southwest Amazon moist forests [NT0166].

Remarks.

The apex of the syntype is damaged, so the total shell height is slightly over 60 mm. The type locality is very imprecise and covers a large area. This taxon has been synonymised with Helix pentadina d’Orbigny, 1835 (described from central Bolivia) and Bulimus lacrimosus Heimburg, 1884 (from Peru, Dept. Loreto) by Weyrauch (1967: 462) without further comments. We concur with his opinion on the former, with the notice that Helix pentadina was described by d’Orbigny on the basis of one damaged shell from Bolivia, Prov. Chaparé. The type material of Heimburg’s taxon has not been located; therefore it remains difficult to fully asses this species, but his figure leaves little doubt. Richardson (1995) agreed with both synonymizations of Weyrauch, and we provisionally follow this conclusion. However, this species deserves further studies given the very large distribution range.