Gastrocopta armigerella (Reinhardt, 1877) and Gastrocopta theeli (Westerlund, 1877) in western Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan, and their further occurrence in Asia (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Pupilloidea)

By

Meng, Stefan
Bößneck, Ulrich, 1960-2019

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2018

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

807

Pages

1-11

Subjects

Asia , Gastrocopta armigerella , Gastrocopta theeli , Pupilloidea , Tien Shan

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.807.29113

 

Abstract

Gastrocoptaarmigerella (Reinhardt, 1877) has been described from Japan and is widespread in the Far East and China. Surprisingly, a few occurrences in central and western Asia have also become known. Forcart (1935) found G.armigerella in northern Iran. The authors found evidence of G.armigerella in western Tien Shan, Kyrgyzstan. The form from northern Tajikistan described by Schileyko (1984) as G.huttoniana agrees morphologically with G.armigerella as well. Gastrocoptahuttoniana is known from western India and the Himalayan region. The evidence of G.armigerella from central and western Asia has come thus far from drift material at the high water line in river floodplains which suggests that these are sub-fossil or fossil shells (Holocene or Pleistocene) which have been relocated. No living example of Gastrocopta has been found there as yet. Possibly the species is now extinct in this region. Gastrocoptatheeli (Westerlund, 1877) is the most widespread Gastrocopta in Eurasia. Its area ranges from the Caucasus to the Far East. The findings reported here are the first for this species in western Tien Shan.