Pila africana
Creators: name: Cowie, Robert H.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Mollusca
Gastropoda
Architaenioglossa
Ampullariidae
Pila
Pila africana

description: africana
Ampullaria africana Martens, 1886: 114. Type material — lectotype (Köhler & Glaubrecht 2006: 199, fig. 1A): ZMB 38597a; paralectotypes: ZMB 38597b (6 spms.), ZMB 109532 (2 spms.), ZMB 18793 (3 spms.). Type locality —“Goldküste, Abetifi” [Ghana]. Distribution —West Africa, from Liberia to Ghana, also Lake Volta (Brown 1994: 55); also Sierra Leone and possibly extending into eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (Brown 1980: 46); Lake Nyassa, teste Paetel (1887: 476) and G.B. Sowerby III (1910: 56) (? error).
Remarks. A specimen in the Brot collection, from “Abetifi, Côte d’Or” (MHNG-INVE-33484), is considered to be a topotype only (Y. Finet pers. comm. 26 August 2002). Placed in Pila by Köhler & Glaubrecht (2006: 199).
alucinans
Ampullaria alucinans G.B. Sowerby III, 1910: 63, text fig. Type material — syntypes: NHMUK 1910.9.30.2 (1 spm., labelled “ type ”); SMF 50654 (1 spm.). Type locality —“ Ceylon ”.
Remarks. Prashad (1923: 588, 1925: 83) noted a “cotype” that Sowerby sent to Kobelt (SMF 50654) but considered this specimen to have “nothing in common” with alucinans G.B. Sowerby III but to be a juvenile of conica Wood, or its variety gracilis Lea. It nonetheless remains part of the original type series and therefore a syntype. Valid species, teste Preston (1915: 103). Synonym of cinerea Reeve, teste Prashad (1925: 82), followed here, which he treated as a variety of layardi Reeve.
amplior
Pila congoensis amplior Pilsbry & Bequaert, 1927: 179, pl. 15, figs. 1, 2. Type material — holotype [by original designation]: AMNH 72087; paratypes: ANSP 131964 (1 spm.), FMNH 77368 (2 spms.), MCZ 171488 (1 spm.); possible paratype: ANSP 131963 (1 spm.). Type locality —“Nouvelle Anvers” [= Makanza, Democratic Republic of the Congo].
Remarks. Pilsbry & Bequaert (1927: 179) based their description on four specimens, one from the type locality, one from “near Bumba” and two from “Medje”. The first two are accounted for by the AMNH holotype and the MCZ paratype, as stated by Boyko & Cordeiro (2001: 102), who considered the other two possibly to be AMNH 72124 (1 spm.) from “Bumba Lie” and AMNH 72125 (1 spm.) from “near Bumba” but with incorrect label information; both are lost, according to Boyko & Cordeiro (2001: 102). However, ANSP 131964, listed as a paratype by ANSP, is from Medje and is surely one of these specimens, although ANSP 131963, also listed as a paratype by ANSP is from “ Zambi ” and may not be. Further research is needed to verify the status of these specimens and to determine whether they are the two paratypes from Medje. Synonym of congoensis Pilsbry & Bequaert, teste Pain (1961: 16).
description: Published as part of Cowie, Robert H., 2015, The recent apple snails of Africa and Asia (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Ampullariidae: Afropomus, Forbesopomus, Lanistes, Pila, Saulea): a nomenclatural and type catalogue. The apple snails of the Americas: addenda and corrigenda, pp. 1-92 in Zootaxa 3940 (1) on pages 28-29, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3940.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/288204