Journal of Threatened Taxa |
www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 June 2023 | 15(6): 23455–23457
ISSN 0974-7907
(Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8123.15.6.23455-23457
#8123 | Received 29
July 2022 | Final received 14 June 2023 | Finally accepted 17 June 2023
Further distribution records of Varadia ambolensis (Stylommatophora: Helicarionoidea)
from the state of Goa
Nitin Sawant 1,
Shubham Rane 2 , Sagar
Naik 3 , Seema Vishwakarma 4 & Mayur Gawas
5
1–5 Department of Zoology, Goa
University, Taleigao Plateau, Goa 403206, India.
1 nitin.sawant@unigoa.ac.in
(corresponding author), 2 shubhamrane7036@gmail.com, 3 sagarnaik1018@gmail.com,
4 vishwakarmaseema310@gmail.com, 5 mithilgawas0987@gmail.com
Editor: Basudev Tripathy, Zoological Survey of India, Pune, India. Date of publication: 26 June
2023 (online & print)
Citation: Sawant, N., S. Rane, S.
Naik, S. Vishwakarma & M. Gawas (2023). Further distribution records of Varadia ambolensis (Stylommatophora: Helicarionoidea)
from the state of Goa. Journal of Threatened Taxa 15(6): 23455–23457. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8123.15.6.23455-23457
Copyright: © Sawant et al. 2023. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows
unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium
by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: None.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Acknowledgements: We thank the Goa Forest
Department for granting us necessary permissions to carry out our fieldwork and
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for sponsoring the
fieldwork.
The Western Ghats hotspot of
India has 270 species of land snails of which 76% are endemic to this region
(Aravind et al. 2005) and 40% are micro-gastropods (Aravind et al. 2008). Varadia amboliensis
is a helicarionoidean species of land snail endemic
to the northern and central Western Ghats. It is the only known large semi-slug
species having broad densely tuberculated shell lobes
and a depressed, discoid shell with a disproportionately large body whorl and colour ranging from golden-brown to reddish-yellow (Bhosale
et al. 2021). We, herein, report new occurrence records for the recently
describe V. amboliensis from the state
of Goa. Identity of the individuals were confirmed based on the characters as
described by Bhosale et al. (2021); the shell surface was smooth and glossy,
with irregular, faint collabral striae.
Surface of mantle was densely covered by small, irregular tubercles that appear
lighter on top, mantle with two broad shell lobes and two dorsal lobes, living
individuals were glossy grey or greyish-white with irregular dark mottling;
head and tail dark grey or blackish with tentacles tending to be paler at their
tips. Tail consisting of large slit-like caudal pit; caudal horn prominent when
extended.
On 2 September 2021 we observed
an individual of V. amboliensis moving
on a tar road at Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary (15.0620N & 74.2400E)
during our field visit at 0042 h (Image 2). In another such instance, on 22
September 2021, during our field visit at Collem, Goa
(15.3330N & 74.2590E), we found eight individuals of V.
amboliensis on the rocks, dead wood logs and
shrubs of Strobilanthes sp., alongside a slow
flowing stream at 1900 h (Image 3). During our herpetological survey on 20
October 2021, at 2345 h in Sural Village, Goa (15.6680N & 74.1730E),
we encountered 12 individuals of V. amboliensis
on an embankment and on the forest floor during our field visit in the area
(Image 4).
All of the above records were
opportunistic sightings in semi evergreen patches, during our herpetological
field visits, which indicates that dedicated surveys could yield more such
records. Currently, this species is known from only a few localities and our
sightings will add to the distribution data of this species.
For
images - - click here for full PDF
References
Aravind,
N.A., K.P. Rajashekhar & N.A Madhyastha
(2005). Species
diversity, endemism and distribution of land snails of Western Ghats, India;Records of Western Museum Supplement
68: 31–38.
Aravind,
N.A., K.P. Rajashekhar & N.A. Madhyastha
(2008). Micromolluscs of Western Ghats, India: Diversity,
distribution and threats. Zoosymposia 1:
281–294
Bhosale,
A.R., A.J. Saadi, C.M. Wade, T.U. Thackeray, A.S. Tamboli, S.K. Kadam, D.V. Muley & D.C. Raheem (2021). Varadia,
a new helicarionoidean semi-slug genus from India’s
Western Ghats (Stylommatophora: Helicarionoidea).
European Journal of Taxonomy 757(1): 50–79. https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2021.757.1413