Mahrazia benlemlihi, Mabrouki & Taybi & Methods, 2022

Mabrouki, Youness, Taybi, Abdelkhaleq Fouzi & Methods, Peter Glöer Introduction Material And, 2022, Mahrazia benlemlihi gen. et sp. nov., a new subterranean snail (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae) from Morocco, Bonn zoological Bulletin 71 (2), pp. 204-208 : 206

Mahrazia benlemlihi gen. et sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:73B222FF-B0D7-4143-BC10-6B3518DBEFB

Figs 1–6

Etymology. The species was named after Professor Mo- hammed Benlemlih (the Dean of the Faculty of Sciences, Dhar El Mahraz), in recognition of his encouragement and support for our research work and for his help in finding the new species.

Description

Shell. Minute, thin-walled, elongated ovate, glossy and transparent when fresh, spire of 4.5 whorls growing regularly, and separated by a deep suture. Shell surface smooth, with growth lines that are hardly visible. Apex broad and flat. Aperture ovate with a sharp peristome. Umbilicus closed. Outer lip slightly sinuated in later- al view. The shell measurements (N = 9) are presented in Table 1. Since the number of individuals studied is quite small, these morphometric characteristics need to be completed by further catches of the new subterranean snail.

Operculum. The corneous operculum is smooth and thin, and brown in colour.

Soft parts morphology and anatomy. Body translucent when alive, white when preserved, pigment-less; tentacles very long and thin, without eyes. Penis long, thickened at basis with a bulbous part near pointed penis tip, four times longer than wide with folds at the basis.

Distribution. This new genus and species is known only from the type locality, which is a well located in the Faculty of Sciences Dhar El Mahraz ( Fig. 7 ). It belongs to the Saiss aquifer system, one of the main aquifer sys- tems of Morocco, limited to the North by the Pre-Rif, to the East by the valley of the Oued Sebou, to the West by the tributaries of the Oued Beht and to the South by the Middle Atlas. It is formed by the deep Lias aquifer and the Quaternary groundwater. The water level is on aver- age at a depth of 50 m below the ground level.

Figures

Figs 1–5. Mahrazia benlemlihi gen. et sp. nov. 1. Holotype (ZMH 141428). 2. Holotype, penis. 3–5. Paratypes (3 dried).

Fig. 6. Habitus of live specimens of Mahrazia benlemlihi gen. et sp. nov.

Fig. 7. Location of the type locality of Mahrazia benlemlihi gen. et sp. nov.