Metalycaeus brahma (Godwin-Austen, 1886)

Pall-Gergely, Barna, Sajan, Sheikh, Tripathy, Basudev, Meng, Kaibaryer, Asami, Takahiro & Ablett, Jonathan D., 2020, Genus-level revision of the Alycaeidae (Gastropoda, Cyclophoroidea), with an annotated species catalogue, ZooKeys 981, pp. 1-220 : 1

Metalycaeus brahma (Godwin-Austen, 1886) Fig. 32

Alycaeus brahma Godwin-Austen, 1886: 195-196, pl. 48, figs 3.

Alycaeus (Chamalycaeus) brahma - Kobelt 1902: 353.

Alycaeus commutatus Godwin-Austen, 1914: 351, pl. 148, fig. 7. syn. nov.

Alycaeus brahma - Godwin-Austen 1914, Vol. II: 363.

Alycaeus brahma var. - Godwin-Austen 1914, Vol. II: 363.

Alycaeus chanjukensis Godwin-Austen, 1914: 364-365, pl. 157, figs 5, 5a. syn. nov.

Alycaeus chanjukensis - Gude 1921: 207.

Alycaeus (Chamalycaeus) brahma - Gude 1921: 224-225.

Alycaeus (Raptomphalus) commutatus - Gude 1921: 286.

Alycaeus brahma - Ramakrishna and Mitra 2002: 22.

Alycaeus (Alycaeus) chanjukensis - Ramakrishna et al. 2010: 47.

Chamalycaeus (Chamalycaeus) brahma - Ramakrishna et al. 2010: 52; Tripathy et al. 2018: 789.

Alycaeus (Alycaeus) chanjukensis - Tripathy et al. 2018: 789.

Type locality.

“Brahmakund” ( brahma ); "Chanjuk La, Tsanspu Valley, 4300 ft., Lat. 29°25', Long. 95°20'" ( chanjukensis ); “Bhutan” ( commutatus ).

Material examined.

Brahmakund, E. Assam, leg. M. Ogle, NHMUK 1903.7.1.2610 (16 syntypes of A. brahma ); Dihung valley, Singpho Hills, leg. M. Ogle, NHMUK 1903.7.1.2611 (1 specimen of " Metalycaeus brahma (Godwin-Austen, 1886) var."); Chanjuk La, Tsanspu valley, Lat. 29°25', Long. 95°20', coll. Oakes, NHMUK 1903.7.1.3583 (3 syntypes of A. chanjukensis ); Bhutan, ex Beddome coll., NHMUK 1912.4.16.293 (2 syntypes of A. commutatus ).

Remarks.

Protoconch elevated, spirally striated; R1 spirally striated; R2 very long, ribs on R2 sharp and widely spaced.

The variety " M. brahma var." has a much less prominent keel inside the umbilicus, which supports our view regarding the invalid status of Raptomphalus .

Alycaeus commutatus and Alycaeus chanjukensis do not differ from M. brahma in any important shell characters. The shell and aperture shapes, sculpture, and ratios of shell regions (R1 and R2) are identical. Thus, those two species are considered as synonyms of M. brahma .

Figures

Figure 32. Shells of Metalycaeus brahma (Godwin-Austen, 1886) A syntype of A. brahma (NHMUK 1903.7.1.2610) B syntype of A. commutatus Godwin-Austen, 1914 (NHMUK 1912.4.16.293) C syntype of A. chanjukensis Godwin-Austen, 1914 (NHMUK 1903.7.1.3583). All photographs: Kevin Webb (NHM).