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Thai limestone karsts are known to contain a rich biodiversity of animals, especially terrestrial snails, but still require further intensive exploration to evaluate their biodiversity. To date, only a few studies on the limestone karst-inhabiting land snail genera have been published. The present work focuses on the species diversity and phylogenetic relationships of the limestone karst-restricted land snail genus Aenigmatoconcha from Thailand, based on comparative morphology and molecular evidence. The results yielded three known species (A. clivicola Tumpeesuwan & Tumpeesuwan, 2017, A. sumonthai Tumpeesuwan & Tumpeesuwan, 2018, and A. mitis (Pfeiffer, 1863) comb. nov.), plus a new species (A. eunetis Pholyotha & Panha sp. nov). The phylogenetic analyses of partial fragments of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase c subunit I (COI) gene confirmed the monophyly of all recognized species and congruence with the traditional morphology-based species designations. Average uncorrected p-distances of COI sequences between species were 9.7–12.0% and within species were 0.2–4.2%. This study also provides the re-description of penial sculpture, penial sheath, flagellum, penial caecum, and mantle lobe morphology that were neglected from the type species description. The present discovery of a new species increases the known diversity of Thai land snails and will support the conservation planning to protect karst biodiversity.
Taxonomic work on the land snail genus Sarika Godwin-Austen, 1907 in Cambodia is scarce. A total of three species were recognized from Cambodia prior to this study. However, their taxonomic descriptions were based mainly on shell morphology, with limited genital data. To address this knowledge gap, we opportunistically surveyed for land snails in Cambodia. Our inventory yielded four species of Sarika – one recognized species, Sarika bocourti (Morelet, 1875), from Battambang Province and three new species, Sarika khmeriana Pholyotha & Panha sp. nov., Sarika lactoconcha Pholyotha & Panha sp. nov. and Sarika nana Pholyotha & Panha sp. nov. from Kampot and Takeo Provinces in southern Cambodia. Our discovery involves the first species of Sarika to be described from Cambodia in more than a century highlights the extent to which the diversity of Cambodian land snails remains to be discovered. The status of two species, Sarika benoiti (Crosse & Fischer, 1863) and Sarika resplendens (Philippi, 1846), is at present ambiguous because no material identifiable as these species was found in recent extensive surveys. Although S. bocourti was recently collected from Cambodia, its taxonomic position remained unclear due to a lack of living specimens. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of living animals, shell morphology and reproductive anatomy are provided, and a map showing their distributions is given.
The ‘gigas’ group of dragon millipedes, formerly placed in the genus Desmoxytes Chamberlin, 1923, is revised and assigned to the new genus Gigaxytes gen. nov. Desmoxytes gigas Golovatch & Enghoff, 1994 is the type species of the new genus and is redescribed as G. gigas (Golovatch & Enghoff, 1994) gen. et comb nov. Three new species are described: G. fusca gen et sp. nov. from Thailand and Myanmar; G. parvoterga gen et sp. nov. and G. suratensis gen et sp. nov. from Thailand. All Gigaxytes species are endemic to small distribution areas in limestone habitats in South Thailand and South Myanmar. Illustrations of external morphological characters and an identification key to all known species are provided as well as a distribution map.
The ‘acantherpestes’ group of dragon millipedes, formerly placed in the genus Desmoxytes Chamberlin, 1923, is revised and assigned to the new genus Nagaxytes Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha gen. nov. Desmoxytes acantherpestes Golovatch & Enghoff, 1994 is the type species of the new genus and is redescribed as N. acantherpestes (Golovatch & Enghoff, 1994) gen. et comb. nov. Three new species are described from Thailand: N. erecta Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha gen. et sp. nov. and N. gracilis Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha gen. et sp. nov. from Kanchanaburi Province, and N. spatula Srisonchai, Enghoff & Panha gen. et sp. nov. from Tak Province. All new species are endemic to western Thailand and all are restricted to limestone habitats. Complete illustrations of external morphological characters, an identification key, and a distribution map are provided.
The land snail genus Amphidromus Albers, 1850 and its subgenus Syndromus Pilsbry, 1900 (family Camaenidae) in Laos are revised. Fourteen species from various habitats of deciduous forest and limestone areas throughout Laos are confirmed. The classification is revised and discussed, based on material examined from Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand and after comparison with the type specimens in many museums. Two new species, A. (Amphidromus) syndromoideus Inkhavilay & Panha sp. nov., from central Laos, and A. (Syndromus) xiengkhaungensis Inkhavilay & Panha sp. nov., from northern Laos, are described and discussed.
The Indochinese to southern Chinese millipede genus Tylopus currently comprises 62 species, including eight new ones: T. flavolineatus sp. nov., T. hongkhraiensis sp. nov. from central and northern Thailand, respectively, T. moniliformis sp. nov., T. retusus sp. nov., T. acuminatus sp. nov., T. dorsalis sp. nov., T. thunghaihin sp. nov., all from Laos, and T. punctus sp. nov. from northern Myanmar. A new record of T. baenzigeri Golovatch & Enghoff, 1993, from northern Thailand is given. All these species are richly illustrated, and a modified key to all known species of the genus is also provided.
The Thyropygus opinatus subgroup (Diplopoda: Harpagophoridae) of the T. allevatus group in Thailand is revised. Based on a phylogenetic analysis of mtDNA sequence data, it is merged with the T. bifurcus subgroup to form an extended T. opinatus subgroup. Nine new species are described: Thyropygus cimi sp. nov. and T. forceps sp. nov. from Nakhonsrithammarat Province, T. culter sp. nov., T. planispina sp. nov., T. undulatus sp. nov. and T. ursus sp. nov. from Krabi Province, T. mesocristatus sp. nov. from Songkhla Province, T. navychula sp. nov. from Phang-Nga Province and T. sutchariti sp. nov. from Phetchaburi Province.