Pupina M. Vignard, 1829

Tripathy, Basudev & Sajan, Sheikh, 2019, Short Communication Pupina peguensis Benson, 1860 (Mollusca: Pupinidae): tracing a long lost molluscan type, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 119 (4), pp. 507-510 : 508-510

Genus Pupina M. Vignard, 1829

Vignard, 1829: pp. 439–440, pl. 11.

Type species: Pupina keraudrenii M. Vignard, 1829 by monotypy

Diagnosis: Shell elongate ovate, smooth, with a shining enamel-like coating; peristome simple, thickened or reflexed, with two canals, the upper at the suture, the lower oblique at the middle of the columellar margin. Operculum thin, membraneceous, and narrowly coiled.

Pupina peguensis Benson, 1860 ( Figures. 1 A‒F )

Pupina peguensis Benson 1860: p. 192 ; Pfeiffer 1865: p. 95; Theobald 1876: p. 41; Nevill 1878: p. 300; Godwin-Austen 1897: p. 40, pl. 69, fig. 3; Gude 1921: p. 197.

Pupina blanfordi non Theobald 1870, pl. 7, fig. 6.

Pupina (Tylotoechus) peguensis . Kobelt & Möllendorff

1897: p. 147; 1899: p. 43; Kobelt 1902: p. 319.

Type locality: ‘ Shuay-Gheen’ Burma [Shwegyin, Bago District, Myanmar]; leg. Captain Berdmore, coll. ex. c. Asiatic Society .

Type material: Holotype, NZSI M.32940/9

Measurement: SH 6.5 mm, SW 4.5 mm

Original description: Testa imperforata, subglobosoovata, laevigata, polita, pellucida, cornea; spira convexoconica, apice acutiusculo, sutura callosomarginata; anfractibus 4½, ultimo spiram superante, antice breviter ascendente, ad basin foveato; apertura subverticali, sursum spectante, circulari, angulo acuto superne adjecto, callo parietali superne et lamella intrante munita; columella profunde incisa, canalem extus progredientem lingua lata superiore obtectum callisque duobus extus divergentibus marginatum exhibente; peristomate expansiusculo; margine dextro, supra medium arcuato, basalique crassiusculo obtusis. Long. 6, diam. 3½ mill. (After, Benson, 1860: pp. 192-193). Modified description: Shell small (SH 6.5 mm, SW 4.5 mm), imperforate, sub-globosely ovate in shape, smooth and polished surface, yellowish-brown in coloration; Apex obtuse, whorl 4½ and the penultimate whorl convex, body whorl large and globose (4.9 mm); Spire convex and extended, the suture moderately impressed; aperture opening circular and the parietal tooth having well developed strong ridge, and dusky white, slender in shaped. The peristome is thick and broadly extended and form acute angle from above, being added, the is parietal callus moves into the plate from above; and a parietal tooth has strong; the columella deeply cut, tongue is wide is the growing separation between the channel without the previous two divergent margin covered; and for showing the callus; peristome interrupted by two breathing canals in both anterior and posterior sides. The anterior canal look like slit and separated the collumelar region of the shell and forming a long trench for passage of air into the shell, while, the posterior canal continues vertically upward and forming narrow groove for breathing abutted by the thickened outer lip and parietal tooth; and the umbilicus closed (see Figures. 1 A‒F ).

Distribution: Bago district in Myanmar

Shell comparison: Pupina peguensis Benson, 1860 is closely related with Pupina aureola Stolizcka, 1872 (= Pupina arula Benson, 1856 ), but, easily distinguished by its small size shell, translucent colour and absence of sculpture.

Remarks: Although, Benson (1860: p. 192) described the species Pupina peguensis and clearly stated that the “type” specimen is housed in the Asiatic Society of Bengal, and later transferred to the Indian Museum and subsequently to the Zoological Survey of India, but unfortunately there is no evidence of “type” number. Due to lack of evidence, the former malacologists and curator of the Indian Museum and ZSI placed this type specimen in the general lot. After a thorough investigation and comparison, we confirm that the specimen is undoubted of P. penguensis which was described and labeled by W.H. Benson (1860), deposited in the Asiatic Society of Bengal. Therefore, firmed the specimen as “ holotype ” with assigning a new registration number which was previously not available for this species permitted under ICZN (Art. 73.1.1.).

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the Director, Zoological Survey of India for providing the necessary facilities for the study. This work was supported by the MoEF&CC through the NMHS vide Grant No. NMHS–LG-2016/0011/8509-8.

Figures

Figure 1. Pupina peguensis Benson, 1860; A‒F. Holotype, NZSI M.32940/9. G. Original glass tube of the shell with “type” labelled. H. Original label of the type specimen Pupina peguensis, with type locality and collector name (AS. Asiatic Society).