Refine
Document Type
- Article (1)
- Part of Periodical (1)
Language
- English (2)
Has Fulltext
- yes (2)
Is part of the Bibliography
- no (2)
Keywords
- South-East Asia (2)
- integrative taxonomy (2)
- revisionary systematics (2)
- Biodiversity (1)
- Coral Triangle (1)
- Indo-West Pacific (1)
- biodiversity (1)
Mangroves of the Indo-West Pacific have remained poorly explored, so even the diversity of the onchidiid slugs, which are some of the most abundant animals in mangroves of the Indo-West Pacific, is not well known. Thanks to several years spent exploring mangroves in the Indo-West Pacific (more than 260 stations), especially in South-East Asia, the diversity of mangrove gastropods can now be addressed through revisions following an integrative taxonomy approach (nomenclature, field observations, comparative anatomy and DNA sequences). A new genus of onchidiid slugs is described, Paromoionchis Dayrat & Goulding gen. nov., which includes five species, three of which are new: Paromoionchis boholensis Dayrat & Goulding gen. et sp. nov., P. daemelii (Semper, 1880) com. nov., P. goslineri Dayrat & Goulding gen. et sp. nov., P. penangensis Dayrat & Goulding gen. et sp. nov. and P. tumidus (Semper, 1880) comb. nov. Paromoionchis gen. nov. is distributed from western India to the subtropical waters of Japan (33° N) and southeastern Australia (33° S). The creation of new taxon names is supported by rigorous nomenclature: the types of all existing species names in the family were examined, the original descriptions carefully studied and nomenclatural issues addressed. The diversity and biogeography of this new genus is discussed in a broader context.
In the Indo-West Pacific, intertidal slugs of the genus Platevindex Baker, 1938 are common in mangrove forests, where they typically live on the roots and trunks of mangrove trees. These slugs are easily distinguished from most onchidiids by their hard notum and narrow foot, but despite their large size and abundance, species diversity and geographic distributions have remained a mystery. With the aid of new collections from across the entire Indo-West Pacific, the taxonomy of Platevindex is revised using an integrative approach (natural history field observations, re-examination of type specimens, mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences, and comparative anatomy). In this monograph, nine species of Platevindex are recognized, including one new to science: P. amboinae (Plate, 1893), P. applanatus (Simroth, 1920) comb. nov., P. aptei Goulding & Dayrat sp. nov., P. burnupi (Collinge, 1902) comb. nov., P. coriaceus (Semper, 1880), P. latus (Plate, 1893), P. luteus (Semper, 1880), P. martensi (Plate, 1893) and P. tigrinus (Stoliczka, 1869) comb. nov. Five species names are recognized as junior synonyms, four of which are new, and two Platevindex names are regarded as nomina dubia. One new subspecies is also recognized: P. coriaceus darwinensis Goulding & Dayrat subsp. nov. Most species were previously known only from the type material and many new geographic records are provided across the Indo-West Pacific, from South Africa to the West Pacific (Japan, New Ireland and New Caledonia).