Megavitrina imperatoria Ruud, Menkhorst &amp; Neubert, 2016, spec. nov.
Creators: name: Ruud, A. Bank
name: Menkhorst, Henk P. M. G
name: Neubert, Eike
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Mollusca
Gastropoda
Stylommatophora
Vitrinidae
Megavitrina
Megavitrina imperatoria

description: <i>Megavitrina imperatoria</i> spec. nov. (Fig. 21) “a hitherto undescribed species from eastern Anatolia” – Neubert, 1998: 449. Type locality &amp; type specimens. – Vilayet Ad&amp;imath;yaman, summit Nemrud Da&amp;gbreve; (= Commagenes), 2150 m (37.9799°N 38.7406°E), H.P.M.G. Menkhorst leg., 14.vii.1986. Holotype NMBE 548324, paratypes NMBE 548345/1, HMK/2 + 6 subadult shells + 5 juveniles. In addition 2 paratypes in HMK (1 adult, 1 subadult) collected at 15.v.2011. Most of the type specimens are partially broken. Diagnosis. – See the diagnosis of the genus. Description. – Shell thin and transparant, discoidal in profile, orthostyl, with a pale greenish tinge. Protoconch (1.7 whorls; diameter 2.4-2.7 mm) very finely punctate; the very fine pits are more or less arranged in spiral rows. Teleoconch without punctation; only weak irregularly spaced radial growth lines are present and some hardly visible (even at high magnification) spiral striae. Radial growth lines can also be present on the protoconch. The first whorls are rather convex, but the last whorl is rather flattened; the suture is shallow. The spire is small and low. The 3.4 whorls (counting according to Knipper, 1939: 332) enlarge rapidly, the last one being very wide. Last whorl forming distinctly less than half the total breadth as viewed from above, slightly descending, convex and never angled at its periphery. Apertural lip simple, thin and delicate; a membranous margin is lacking (or a mere trace only). The upper part of the columellar peristome is reflexed and therefore markedly thickened, closing the umbilicus completely. A remarkable feature of the shell is the presence of 2 to 3 very clear growth interruptions. The interruption can also been observed at the inside of the aperture, namely as a radial, whitish, callus. Measurements (n = 3). – Shell height 8.9-9.4 (mean 9.1); last whorl height 8.4-8.8 (mean 8.5); maximum height of peristome 5.3-5.6 (mean 5.4); height of spire 0.6-0.8 (mean 0.7) mm; maximum diameter of shell 16.1-17.1 (mean 16.4); minimum diameter of shell 12.6- 13.4 (mean 13.0); maximum diameter of peristome 10.8-11.2 (mean 11.0); diameter last whorl 6.6-7.1 (mean 6.9). The reported maximum diameter of the shell of <i>V. libanica</i> is around 15 to 16 mm (Germain, 1911: 32; Tohmé &amp; Tohmé, 1988: 71), and the reported maximum shell height of <i>V. libanica</i> is 9 mm. Localities. – Known from the locus typicus only (see above). Derivatio nominis. – Named after the emperor Antiochus I Theos Dikaios Epiphanes Philorhomaios Philhellen, who ruled the Kingdom of Commagene between 70 BC and 38 BC. He is the most famous emperor of that kingdom; the ruins of his tomb-sanctuary is atop Nemrud Da&amp;gbreve;, being the type locality of this species. Differentiation. – <i>Megavitrina imperatoria</i> has, compared to <i>M. libanica</i>, a more depressed and a more oval (due to the more expanded aperture) shell, a slightly less pronounced punctate sculpture on the protoconch, and a fewer number of radial growth lines on the teleoconch. We have two specimens of <i>V. libanica</i> at our disposal from the MNHN, with the label: “Beyrouth?”.
description: Published as part of <i>Ruud, A. Bank, Henk P. M. G Menkhorst &amp; Eike Neubert, 2016, Descriptions of new and little-known land snail taxa from Turkey, and establishment of a new genus (Gastropoda, Pulmonata: Lauriidae, Enidae and Vitrinidae), pp. 5-30 in Basteria 80 (1)</i> on page 26, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.439745
description: {"references": ["BANK, R. A. &amp; NEUBERT, E., 1998. Notes on Buliminidae, 5. On the systematic position of Arabian Buliminidae (Gastropoda Pulmonata), with the description of a new genus. - Basteria 61 (4 / 6): 73 - 84.", "KNIPPER, H., 1939. Systematische, anatomische, okologische und tiergeographische Studien an sudosteuropaischen Heliciden (Moll. Pulm.). - Archiv fur Naturgeschichte, Neue Folge 8 (3 / 4): 327 - 517.", "GERMAIN, L., 1911. Note preliminaire sur les mollusques terrestres et fluviatiles recueillis par M. H. Gadeau de Kerville pendant son voyage en Syrie. - Bulletin du Museum national d'Histoire naturelle 17 (1): 27 - 32.", "TOHME, G. &amp; THOME, H., 1988. Les coquillages terrestres du Liban. - Publications de l'Universite Libanaise, Section des Sciences Naturelles, 20: 113 pp."]}