Metalycaeus Asami, 2017, n. sp.
Creators: name: Asami, Takahiro
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Mollusca
Gastropoda
Architaenioglossa
Alycaeidae
Metalycaeus

description: Metalycaeus (?) awalycaeoides Páll-Gergely & Hunyadi, n. sp.
FIGUrEs 47A, 48A–B, 49A–B.
Type material. HOLOTypE HNHM 99730, Ex COLL. A. HUNyadI, 2015/72 CHINa, SICHUaN, LEsHaN SHI, JINkOUHE XIaN, JINHE ZHEN, 610 m, 29°18.215'N, 103°6.787'E, LEG. A. HUNyadI & M. SzEkErEs, 18 JUNE 2015.
Etymology. THE NamE awaLyCaEOIdEs rEfErs TO THE sImILarITy wITH THE mEmbErs Of THE JapaNEsE GENUs Awalycaeus, IN TErms Of GENEraL sHELL sHapE aNd prOpOrTIONs Of THE rEGIONs. ON THE OTHEr HaNd, Awalycaeus spECIEs dIffEr frOm Metalycaeus awalycaeoides n. sp. IN THE LOw, smOOTH prOTOCONCH aNd THE rIbs ON R2, wHICH arE LOw, aNd arE CONNECTEd TO EaCH OTHEr NEar THE TUbEs (sImILarLy TO THOsE Of Dicharax alticola n. sp.).
Diagnosis. A smaLL spECIEs wITH vEry sHOrT R2, ExTrEmELy sHOrT R3 wITHOUT swELLING, R1 wITH wIdELy-spaCEd, rELaTIvELy sTrONG rIbs, R2 wITH CUrvEd, dENsE rIbs; bOdy wHOrL vEry sLIGHTLy kEELEd, pErIsTOmE rOUNdEd.
Description. SHELL (FIGUrE 47A) COLOUr GrEyIsH LIGHT brOwN, aLTHOUGH sTrONGLy wEaTHErEd, THErEfOrE OrIGINaL COLOUr mIGHT bE dIffErENT; sHELL OUTLINE rOUNdEd frOm dOrsaL vIEw, wITH CONspICUOUsLy INfLaTEd R2; prOTOCONCH CONsIsTs Of 1.75 wHOrLs, ELEvaTEd aNd sOmE rEmaINs Of spIraL sTrIaTION vIsIbLE NEar sUTUrE; R1 CONsIsTs Of 1.5 wHOrLs, IrrEGULarLy rIbbEd; rIbs bECOmE sTrONGEr aNd mOrE wIdELy-spaCEd TOwards ENd Of rEGION; spIraL sTrIaTION Of R1 wEakEr THaN radIaL sCULpTUrE; bOUNdary bETwEEN R1 aNd R2 CLEarLy vIsIbLE bECaUsE rIbs ON R2 dENsEr aNd THEy arE CUrvEd (FIGUrEs 48A–B); R2 rELaTIvELy sHOrT, R3 ExTrEmELy sHOrT; R2 aNd R3 sLIGHTLy mOrE THaN 90 dEGrEEs COmbINEd; a dEEp CONsTrICTION fOLLOws ENd Of R2; rIbs ON R2 sTrONGLy dEvELOpEd, CUrvEd TOwards apErTUrE, NEarLy rEaCHING THEIr NEIGHbOUrs; CrOss sECTION Of R2 COULd NOT bE ExamINEd; R3 wITHOUT swELLING, IrrEGULarLy, fINELy wrINkLEd, bUT aLmOsT smOOTH; apErTUrE rOUNdEd; pErIsTOmE OvEraLL THIN; INNEr pErIsTOmE raTHEr sHarp, NOT CONspICUOUs, OUTEr pErIsTOmE sLIGHTLy ExpaNdEd bUT NOT rEfLECTEd; bOUNdary bETwEEN TwO pErIsTOmEs vIsIbLE, bUT NOT CONspICUOUs.
Measurements (in mm). D = 3.5, H = 2.5 (N = 1, HOLOTypE).
Operculum. THE OUTEr sIdE Of THE OpErCULUm Of THE HOLOTypE was ExamINEd (FIGUrEs 49A–B); IT Is mULTIspIraL wITH LOw, LamELLa HavING IrrEGULar, sErrULaTEd EdGE. THE INNEr sIdE Of THE OpErCULUm COULd NOT bE ExamINEd.
Variation in specimens. ONLy THE HOLOTypE Is kNOwN.
Differential diagnosis. Metalycaeus awalycaeoides n. sp. Is OvEraLL sImILar TO M. muciferus, bUT sEparaTEd frOm THaT spECIEs ON THE basIs Of THE vEry sLIGHTLy kEELEd bOdy wHOrL, THE sHOrTEr R3, aNd mOsT ImpOrTaNTLy, THE rIbs ON R2, wHICH arE dENsE, aNd arE CUrvEd TOwards THE apErTUrE. Metalycaeus ibex n. sp., wHICH Is sImILar TO M. awalycaeoides n. sp. IN GENEraL sHELL sHapE, dIffErs frOm IT by HavING a mUCH sHarpEr bOdy wHOrL, sTrONGEr rIbs ON R2, aNd THICkEr pErIsTOmE. SEE aLsO UNdEr M. laosensis n. sp.
Distribution. THIs NEw spECIEs Is kNOwN frOm THE TypE LOCaLITy ONLy.
description: Published as part of Asami, Takahiro, 2017, Revision of the Alycaeidae of China, Laos and Vietnam (Gastropoda: Cyclophoroidea) I: The genera Dicharax and Metalycaeus, pp. 1-124 in Zootaxa 4331 (1) on page 74, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4331.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/1009725