Kaliella nephelophila (Tillier & Bouchet, 1988)

Vermeulen, Jaap J., Liew, Thor-Seng & Schilthuizen, Menno, 2015, Additions to the knowledge of the land snails of Sabah (Malaysia, Borneo), including 48 new species, ZooKeys 531, pp. 1-139 : 66-68

Taxon classification Animalia Stylommatophora Euconulidae

Kaliella nephelophila (Tillier & Bouchet, 1988) Fig. 56, 62

Kionghutania nephelophila Tillier & Bouchet, 1988: 276. Kaliella nephelophila (Tillier & Bouchet) Liew et al., 2010: Appendix S1 in online Supporting Information. Type from Malaysia, Sabah, Kinabalu N.P.

Examined material from Sabah.

West Coast Province. Kinabalu N.P., Paka Cave (leg. Tachaini Narainan, V 13495).

Description.

Shell very small, very thin, somewhat translucent, slightly brownish green, conical with flat or slightly concave sides; apex rounded. Surface shiny. Whorls slightly to moderately convex and not shouldered, last whorl angular at the periphery, slightly to moderately convex below the periphery. Protoconch whorls rather flat, with predominant, fine, somewhat inconspicuous, well-spaced, thin spiral threads; radial sculpture inconspicuous. Teleoconch: first whorls with moderately-spaced, thin spiral threads, outer whorls above the periphery with fine, rather densely placed, somewhat wavy spiral threads (less than 80 on the fifth whorl) which are slightly more distinct towards the periphery; below the periphery without spiral sculpture, or locally with fine spiral striation. Radial sculpture teleoconch: above the periphery with distinctly raised growth lines at irregular intervals; below the periphery these are slightly less distinct. Umbilicus almost closed. Dimensions: Height up to 3.8 mm; width up to 4.6 mm; diameters of the first four whorls 0.65-0.80 mm, 1.05-1.20 mm, 1.60-1.75 mm, c. 2.7 mm respectively; number of whorls up to 5 5/8; height aperture up to 1.9 mm; width aperture up to 2.4 mm. Radula: central 3-cuspid; laterals 3-cuspid; marginals serrate with 2 large cones at the tip.

Habitat in Sabah and distribution.

Upper montane forest on granodiorite soil.Alt. 3000-3100 m. Sabah: Mount Kinabalu (summit trail area). Endemic to Sabah.

Cross diagnosis.

Kaliella nephelophila is similar to Kaliella kinabaluensis . Diagnostic is the spiral sculpture above the periphery: fine but still distinct spiral threads, particularly towards the periphery, in Kaliella nephelophila ; an indistinct, dense spiral striation in Kaliella kinabaluensis . The two species differ anatomically; see Tillier and Bouchet 1988.