Natalina quekettiana subsp. dracomontana Herbert & Moussalli 2010, subsp. n.
Creators: name: Herbert, D. G.
name: Moussalli, A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Mollusca
Gastropoda
Stylommatophora
Rhytididae
Natalina
Natalina quekettiana
Natalina quekettiana dracomontana

description: Natalina quekettiana dracomontana subsp. n.   Figs 35C, D, 41–43  
 Etymology: From Latin draco (a dragon) and mons (a mountain); in reference to the Drakensberg.   
 Identification (Fig. 41): For general description see Natalina q. quekettiana above. The limited material available indicates this subspecies to vary considerably in shell proportions and colour, but there appear to be no clear-cut morphological characters that serve to reliably distinguish it from other subspecies within the N. quekettiana complex, except N. q. lucaris and N. reenenesis which have fewer pairs of lateral teeth per transverse row in the radula (but see also observations on epiphallus).   
Dimensions: Holotype: diameter 27.2 mm, height 19.5 mm; largest specimen (NMSA W4093/T2453, Monks Cowl), diameter 30.2 mm; H:D including some slightly subadult specimens 0.55–0.72 (N=5) (0.55 in single available adult).  
Living animal (information available for only two animals) (Figs 35C, D): Dorsal region of head-foot dark grey-brown to charcoal-grey, lacking paler longitudinal stripes on neck; tentacles of similar colour; sides of foot paler; mantle edge pale buff-brown or yellow, if yellow then pedal margin also yellow (Fig. 35D); lung wall without large black blotches, pigmentation mostly fine and tracking blood vessels, particularly to right of pulmonary vein.  
Radula (Fig. 42): Formula 1+(7–8)+(12–19) (N=2); length up to 28.5 mm, with up to 70 V-shaped rows of teeth.  
 Distal genitalia: Epiphallus like that of N. q. quekettiana, but in both of the two mature specimens available there was a small bulla on the outer side of the epiphallus, just above its junction with the vas deferens. Internally the bulla possessed a short diverticulum of the main epiphallus lumen, suggesting that the spermatophore may possess a thumb-like or finger-like process on the tail region (cf. N. beyrichi and N. cafra eumacta). Spermatophore: Unknown, but epiphallus structure suggests that as in other subspecies of N. quekettiana, the anterior two-thirds will bear well-developed scale-like spines. The possibility of an additional process on the tail (see previous paragraph), however, is something not so far evident in other subspecies within this complex.   
 Holotype (Figs 41A–C): SOUTH AFRICA: KZN: Injasuthi, central Drakensberg, (29.1417°S: 29.4250°E), 1600 m, montane Podocarpus forest, in leaf-litter, D. Herbert, M. Seddon & P. Tattersfield, 8/xii/1998 (NMSA V7992 /T2451).   
 Paratypes: SOUTH AFRICA: KZN: Monk’s Cowl area, forest below Sterkspruit Falls (29.03762°S: 29.40632°E), altitude 1350 m, montane Podocarpus forest, in leaf-litter, D. Herbert, Earthwatch, 15/iii/ 2006 (NMSA W4093 /T2453, 2 specimens); ditto, forest below Sterkspruit Falls (29.03414°S: 29.40685°E), 1420 m, montane Podocarpus forest, in leaf-litter, D. Herbert, Earthwatch, 15/iii/2006 (NMSA W4101 / T2452, 1 specimen); Cathkin Peak area (29.037°S: 29.388°E), Falcon coll’n (NMSA A7056 /T2454, 3 specimens).   
 Other material examined: SOUTH AFRICA: KZN: Monk’s Cowl area (29.03707°S: 29.38753°E), 1650 m, indigenous forest, in leaf-litter, M. Hamer et al., 09/iv/2006 (NMSA W5097).   
Distribution (Fig. 43): Confirmed records only from the Mdedelelo [Cathkin Peak] and Injasuthi areas in the central KwaZulu-Natal Drakensberg; occurs at altitudes of 1350– 1650 m.  
Habitat: Afrotemperate forest, in leaf-litter; evidently rare.  
 Notes: We describe this as a new taxon primarily on the grounds of molecular data (Moussalli et al. 2009) which indicate it to represent a distinct lineage that is sister to the clade comprising N. q. quekettiana and N. q. lucaris. It shares with these taxa the distinctive bicoloured shell (living and fresh shells only), and in some individuals, the yellow mantle edge and pedal margin. Nearly all the material available is subadult and the aperture thus perhaps less oblique (more circular) than it would be at adulthood. In addition, there is also an indication of a difference in epiphallus structure, namely the presence of an epiphallus bulla, but this observation is based on only two specimens. Given that this character appears variable in N. c. eumacta and N. c. natalensis, its taxonomic significance must be interpreted with caution.   
 Conservation: The distribution of N. q. dracomontana is evidently somewhat greater than that of N. q. montistempli, but the available records suggest that its range is nonetheless very limited. It occurs in a formally conserved region (the uKhahlamba Drakensberg World Heritage Site), where disturbance is low and thus its habitat is afforded a high degree of protection. On-going management practices, however, need to ensure that the integrity of forest patches within the broader mosaic of Drakensberg ecosystems is maintained. Uncontrolled fires in the neighbouring grasslands are likely to represent the most significant threat.
description: Published as part of Herbert, D. G. & Moussalli, A., 2010, Revision of the larger cannibal snails (Natalina s. l.) of southern Africa - Natalina s. s., Afrorhytida and Capitina (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Rhytididae), pp. 1 in African Invertebrates 51 (1) on pages 61-63, DOI: 10.5733/afin.051.0101, http://zenodo.org/record/7910814