Bensonella cristatissima Gojsina, Hunyadi & Pall-Gergely 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Gojšina, Vukašin
name: Hunyadi, András
name: Sutcharit, Chirasak
name: Tongkerd, Piyoros
name: Auffenberg, Kurt
name: Grego, Jozef
name: Vermeulen, Jaap J.
name: Reischütz, Alexander
name: Páll-Gergely, Barna
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Mollusca
Gastropoda
Stylommatophora
Hypselostomatidae
Bensonella
Bensonella cristatissima

description: Bensonella cristatissima Gojšina, Hunyadi & Páll-Gergely sp. nov.
Figs 39 C, 44, 45, 100
Type material.
Holotype. Myanmar • 1 shell (SH: 1.77 mm, SW: 1.51 mm); Shan State, Taunggyi, mountainside above Aye Say Tee, Dragon Cave; 20°47.489'N, 97°3.036'E; 1380 m a. s. l.; 08 Oct. 2018; A. Hunyadi, K. Okubo & J. U. Otani leg.; CUMZ 14434. Paratypes. Myanmar • 95 shells; same data as for holotype; coll. HA • 1 shell; same data as for holotype; coll. VG • 27 shells Shan State, west-southwest from Taunggyi, Montawa cave; 20°45.282'N, 97°1.057'E; 1260 m a. s. l.; 05 Oct. 2018; A. Hunyadi, K. Okubo & J. U. Otani leg.; coll. HA • 10 shells; Shan State, Hopong centre ca 22 km towards Namsang, Hkoche, near Htem Sann Cave; 20°49.084'N, 97°20.119'E; 1240 m a. s. l.; 06 Oct. 2018; A. Hunyadi, K. Okubo & J. U. Otani leg.; coll. HA.
Additional material examined.
Myanmar • 4 shells (3 juveniles and 1 broken, not paratypes); same data as for holotype; coll. HA.
Type locality.
Myanmar Shan State, Taunggyi, mountainside above Aye Say Tee, Dragon Cave; 20°47.489'N, 97°3.036'E; 1380 m a. s. l.
Diagnosis.
A small Bensonella species with fine, finely dimpled teleoconch sculpture, rounded last whorl adnate to the penultimate, and a strong, sharp cervical crest right behind the expanding peristome. Palatal plicae long and equally developed; umbilicus very narrow to almost closed.
Description.
Shell triangular, slightly conical-ovoid, brownish or yellowish, weakly glossy. It is consisting of 4.5–5 regularly increasing, convex, rounded whorls separated by a deep suture. Protoconch consisting of ~ 1.5 coarsely spirally striated whorls. There are ~ 13 spiral striae on the protoconch and they are more densely arranged at the bottom of the whorl. Teleoconch surface finely dimpled (pasty) and with not numerous, weak radial growth lines. Spiral striae present initially on the teleoconch but getting lost so that the surface remains finely pasty-like or a very weak spiralling pattern might be visible (only on SEM images). Last whorl rounded, adnate to the penultimate. Right behind the peristome, there is a strong, thick, sharp, white cervical crest which is wider than the peristome and even visible behind it in the apertural view. Peristome thick and expanded but not reflected. Aperture equipped with numerous barriers, four of which are particularly strong (angular, parietal, infraparietal, and columellar), and situated closer to the peristome edge. Parietal lamella is the strongest and highest in the aperture. Angular lamella much longer than the parietal, very slender but continuous. Its inner and outer parts are higher than its middle part. Columellar lamella similar in length to the parietal only slightly weaker. This lamella is almost horizontal but sometimes slightly curved towards the palatal plicae. Infraparietal lamella is roughly half as strong as the parietal. Palatal plicae equidistant, all of equal height and length, altogether four (one upper palatal, two interpalatals, and a lower palatal). They are all high at their inner parts and then regularly lowering and tapering towards their outer parts. Palatal tubercle moderately strong or absent. Basal plica present, the same length as the palatals or slightly shorter. Surface of all apertural barriers is finely granulated. Sinulus small and narrow (resembling a comma sign), distinctly separated from the rest of the aperture. Umbilicus very narrow (measuring ~ 1 / 10 of the shell width) or even dot-like, almost closed.
Differential diagnosis.
See under B. dha sp. nov.
Measurements
(in mm, n = 5). SH = 1.77–1.86; SW = 1.45–1.52; AH = 0.73–0.80; AW = 0.63–0.76.
Etymology.
This species is named for the strong cervical crest which is the strongest among all the congeners.
Distribution.
This species in known from three localities in Shan State, Myanmar.
description: Published as part of Gojšina, Vukašin, Hunyadi, András, Sutcharit, Chirasak, Tongkerd, Piyoros, Auffenberg, Kurt, Grego, Jozef, Vermeulen, Jaap J., Reischütz, Alexander & Páll-Gergely, Barna, 2025, A new start? Revision of the genera Anauchen, Bensonella, Gyliotrachela and Hypselostoma (Gastropoda, Eupulmonata, Hypselostomatidae) of Southeast Asia with description of 46 new species, pp. 1-338 in ZooKeys 1235 on pages 1-338, DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1235.145281