A remarkable new genus and species of subterranean freshwater snail from a recently dried-up spring of Viesca, Coahuila, Northern Mexico

By

Czaja, Alexander
Gladstone, Nicholas
Becerra-López, Jorge Luis
Estrada-Rodríguez, José Luis
Saenz‑Mata, Jorge
Terán, Fernando

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2021

Original Publication

Subterranean Biology

Volume

39

Pages

129--141

Subjects

gastropods , interstitial habitat , new genus , North America , subterranean , systematics

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.39.67799

 

Abstract

This paper describes a new genus and species of subterranean gastropod from a karstic region near Viesca, Coahuila in northern Mexico. Shells of Phreatoviesca spinosagen. nov. et sp. nov. were found in spring-deposited sediments near the outlet of a cave that dried up in the late 20th century. The new genus can be primarily distinguished conchologically from other phreatic genera by three remarkable characteristics: (i) prominent open coiling of the last whorl, (ii) shovel-shaped spine ornamentations on the teleoconch, and (iii) a coarsely honeycomb-like pitted protoconch structure. Since only dry shells were found, the new species could already be extinct. However, in view of the relative recent drying up of the spring, we consider that Phreatoviesca spinosa is possibly extant in the aquifers in or adjacent to the Viesca region.