Plekocheilus (Eurytus) piperitus piperitus (Sowerby I, 1837)

Breure, Abraham S. H. & Avila, Valentin Mogollon, 2016, Synopsis of Central Andean Orthalicoid land snails (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora), excluding Bulimulidae, ZooKeys 588, pp. 1-199 : 15

Taxon classification Animalia Stylommatophora Amphibulimidae

Plekocheilus (Eurytus) piperitus piperitus (Sowerby I, 1837) Figs 4 A–F, 5A, 15

Bulinus piperitus Sowerby I 1837 [1832-1841]: 8, fig. 93; Reeve 1848 [1848-1850]: pl. 16 fig. 96; Breure and Ablett 2011: 28, 20 A–C, 20i.

Bulimus pseudopiperatus J. Moricand 1858: 451, pl. 14 fig. 2.

Plekocheilus piperitus ; Richardson 1995: 318 (references, synonymy).

Plekocheilus (Eurytus) piperitus ; Köhler 2007: 127, fig. 4; Borrero and Breure 2011: 48, figs 17 G–J [partim].

Type locality.

[Peru] “Huallaga”.

Type material.

NHMUK 1975329, lectotype (design. n.) and paralectotype.

Additional material.

ZMB 112724 (1), paralectotype; MHNG-INVE-55493 (1), syntype of Bulimus pseudopiperatus J. Moricand.

Diagnosis.

Shell relatively medium-sized, with irregularly spaced reddish-brown dots, sometimes forming longitudal streaks, sculptured with a regular pattern of granulation (Fig. 5A), suture descending in front, rapidly descending behind the lip, aperture ovate, peristome simple.

Dimensions.

Shell height 55.8, diameter 31.3 mm.

Distribution.

Peru, Dept. San Martin, along Río Huallaga; ibid., Moyobamba; Dept. Ucayali, Pucallpa ( Weyrauch 1967: 464).

Ecoregion.

Ucayali moist forests [NT0174].

Remarks.

Borrero and Breure (2011) identified Ecuadorian material as this species, without having seen the type material. However, the type material of Sowerby is somewhat tapering at base and has the suture descending in front (Fig. 4 B–C); also the shells figured by Borrero and Breure seem slightly smaller and slenderer. Therefore we are of the opinion that this taxon is best restricted to Peruvian material, and therefore the specimen figured by Breure and Ablett (2011: fig. 20 A–C) is now designated lectotype (design. n.). Bulimus pseudopiperatus J. Moricand, 1858 is considered a junior subjective synonym of Bulinus piperitus Sowerby I, 1837. This was also the opinion of Weyrauch (1967), who provided Pucallpa as the first precise locality for this species.