Camaena connectens Dautzenberg & Fischer, 1906

Ding, Hong-Li, Wang, Pei, Qian, Zhou-Xing, Lin, Jun-Hong, Zhou, Wei-Chuan, Hwang, Chung-Chi & Ai, Hong-Mu, 2016, Revision of sinistral land snails of the genus Camaena (Stylommatophora, Camaenidae) from China based on morphological and molecular data, with description of a new species from Guangxi, China, ZooKeys 584, pp. 25-48 : 32-34

Taxon classification Animalia Stylommatophora Camaenidae

Camaena connectens Dautzenberg & Fischer, 1906 Figs 3D, 4D, Table 4

Camaena cicatricosa var. connectens Dautzenberg and Fischer, 1906: 356.

Camaena cicatricosa connectens, Schileyko 2011.

Type locality.

Vietnam, Ha-Giang

Material examined.

Type material. Syntype. MNHN-IM 2000-2020.

Additional material see Table 4.

Diagnosis.

Shell sinistral, large, thick, solid, depressed-globular, yellowish brown to brown, with obtuse apex and low dome-shaped spire; 5 1/2 rapidly increasing and slightly convex whorls, separated by shallow suture; body whorl expanded, weakly shouldered, slightly descending in front; periphery bluntly angulate in front of aperture, becoming round behind peristome. Surface with rough growth lines, spiral ribs, and apparent malleation. Aperture roundly lunate, white inside, with curved margin. Peristome white, expanded, reflected, thickened and glossy; columellar margin expanded. Inner lip thickly callous; basal lip curved, forming a smooth junction with oblique columellar lip. Umbilicus narrow, more than two-third of its area covered by reflected columellar lip. Hump beside umbilicus present. Color pattern of a few faint, wavy, reddish brown spiral bands of various thickness bands; subperipheral and subsutural bands much wider (Fig. 3D).

Penis swollen, slightly tapering distally, with a rounded bulge in correspondence of verge. Epiphallus thick, with long and thin penis retractor muscle. Flagellum long, thick basally, tapering distally. Vas deferens short and thin. Vagina short and swollen. Bursa copulatrix elongated-oval with long and thin pedunculus, expanded at basal half. Verge bluntly conic, with dense, deep longitudinal grooves. Inner penial wall supporting proximally transverse, short, weak, narrowly-spaced wrinkles surrounding verge, and distally longitudinal, prominent and widely spaced pilasters (Fig. 4D).

Distribution.

This species has previously been recorded from Ha Giang in northern Vietnam only. In addition, it is now recorded from Tianbao, Malipo, southeastern Yunnan, China, approximately 20 km northwest of Ha Giang (Fig. 1).

Ecology.

This species inhabits humid limestone forest and can not be found in farmland.

Comparative remarks.

Camaena connectens can be distinguished from other sinistral Camaena species by having a rougher surface, an almost covered umbilicus, fewer and faint spiral bands, a hump beside umbilicus, both transverse and longitudinal pilasters on inner penial wall, and a bluntly conic verge with longitudinal grooves. Camaena hahni broti (Dautzenberg & d’Hamonville, 1887) resemble Camaena connectens in having a sinistral shell with rough surface, but the former has a nearly opened umbilicus, and carinate periphery. Camaena connectens differs from Camaena cicatricosa in having a larger shell, a narrower umbilicus, a hump beside umbilicus, and both transverse and longitudinal wrinkles on inner penial wall. This species can be distinguished from Camaena obtecta by having a larger shell, a wider umbilicus, a curved basal lip, and both transverse and longitudinal wrinkles on inner penial wall. This taxon is raised to species rank because of the well-differentiation of molecular and morphological characters.