Bensonella lophiodera Tongkerd & Panha, 2024

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, ZooKeys 1235, pp. 1-338 : 1-338

Bensonella lophiodera Tongkerd & Panha, 2024

Figs 39 K , 62 , 63 , 97

Bensonella lophiodera Tongkerd & Panha in Tongkerd et al. 2024: 176–178, figs 7 C, 9, 13 I.

Type material examined.

Myanmar • holotype; collector unknown; CUMZ 14378 .

Additional material examined.

Myanmar • 158 shells; Shan State, NNE of Kalaw, Osei Mountain Pagoda NW 150 m ; 20°39.320'N, 96°34.927'E; 1565 m a. s. l.; 03 Oct. 2018; A. Hunyadi, K. Okubo & J. U. Otani leg.; coll. HA • 181 shells; Shan State, Kalaw ESE 13.5 km, Myinmati Taung ; 20°35.4264'N, 96°36.7938'E; 1350 m a. s. l.; 03 Oct. 2018; A. Hunyadi, K. Okubo & J. U. Otani leg; coll. HA .

Type locality.

“ Myinmati Cave, Kalaw Township, Taunggyi District, Shan State, Myanmar (20°35'24.6"N, 96°36'42.1"E; 1312 m a. s. l.) ”.

Differential diagnosis.

The shell of this species is relatively large when compared to other geographically approximate congeners and the transversal palatal plica is rather weak and small. See under B. taiyaiorum .

Distribution.

This species is known from three localities in Kalaw.

Remarks.

This species lacks the palatal tubercle but is still clearly a member of Bensonella because of the triangular-conical shell shape and three barriers on the parietal side. In our specimens collected from Osei Mountain Pagoda (see above under “ Material examined ”), there is a transversal plica which is usually only partly merged, i. e., interpalatal and lower palatal plicae are clearly discernible (Fig. 63 ). Even though in the original description, this barrier is listed as a lower palatal, we believe that it is actually a transversal plica but just much weaker than in other congeners. Furthermore, Tongkerd et al. (2024: fig. 9 C) shows a lower palatal plica that is wider than normal and positioned transversally indicating the fusion of the interpalatal and lower palatal plicae. Otherwise, our examined specimens fit perfectly in the description of B. lophiodera by all shell characters (size, colour, shape, surface sculpture, and apertural dentition).

Figures

Figure 39. Synoptic view of the species belonging to Bensonella plicidens group A B. alycaeus sp. nov. B B. boettgeri C B. cristatissima sp. nov. D B. dha sp. nov. E B. dracula sp. nov. F B. exploda sp. nov. G B. geminounca H B. hooki I B. karoensis J B. lakainguta K B. lophiodera L B. microdentata sp. nov. M B. mirabilis sp. nov. N B. montawa sp. nov. O B. multidentata sp. nov. P B. multihami Q B. nitens sp. nov. R B. nordsiecki S B. obex sp. nov. T B. pahpetensis U B. palatotridens V B. pangmapaensis W B. paviei X B. perfecta sp. nov. Y B. plicidens Z B. sericata sp. nov. AA B. serrata sp. nov. AB B. spelaea sp. nov. AC B. spinosa sp. nov. AD B. taiyaiorum AE B. tamphathai.

Figure 62. Bensonella lophiodera, holotype (CUMZ 14378) (from Tongkerd et al. 2024) A – D shell E, F enlarged apertural views.

Figure 63. Bensonella lophiodera from Shan, Kalaw (Myanmar) (coll. HA) A – D shell E, F enlarged apertural views.

Figure 97. Distribution map of some Bensonella species from Myanmar.