Colombia
Manna from heaven?
12-10-2010 07:37
The Lissachatina
saga
continues... Sadly,
but seemingly inevitable. This time in a place
where it may remain totally out of control.
Pictures that I received from Colombian sources, show a flourishing population in Colombia, Dept. Putumayo, Puerto Asis. As this is at the border of Ecuador, and no records for Lissachatina are known for northern localities at the eastern side of the Andes in Colombia, it seems probable that these snails have been “imported” from Ecuador.
To the poor inhibatants of this area, the sudden appearance of these snails is perhaps perceived like manna from heaven. Big bulky snails, ready to eat and use their mucus. Perhaps they are good for making some money too....
Little they know of the damage that is in store for them in their fields. Of the health risks they have to endure when one of the snails is infected.
And although the authorities have been informed, this area is way out of their attention. Slowly, but steadily, this plague will disperse.
Pictures that I received from Colombian sources, show a flourishing population in Colombia, Dept. Putumayo, Puerto Asis. As this is at the border of Ecuador, and no records for Lissachatina are known for northern localities at the eastern side of the Andes in Colombia, it seems probable that these snails have been “imported” from Ecuador.
To the poor inhibatants of this area, the sudden appearance of these snails is perhaps perceived like manna from heaven. Big bulky snails, ready to eat and use their mucus. Perhaps they are good for making some money too....
Little they know of the damage that is in store for them in their fields. Of the health risks they have to endure when one of the snails is infected.
And although the authorities have been informed, this area is way out of their attention. Slowly, but steadily, this plague will disperse.
Confusing types
19-08-2010 22:01
Messing up things can
happen to everyone. Even the Big Names in malacology
are not immune to this phenomenon. However, the
resulting confusion - especially when types are
involved - is what taxonomists don’t like at all.
Some historical malaco-trivia about messing up things with types... Our figureheads: Henry A. Pilsbry and William J. Clench.
In 1939, Pilsbry described several species from Ecuador and Colombia (Pilsbry, 1939). He based himself on material from R.W. Jackson, and Hno. Nicéforo Maria respectively. The taxa under dispute: Plekocheilus oligostylus, described from “Colombia”, and Plekocheilus nachiyacu, described from “Nachiyacu, Ecuador”.
P. oligostylus
Pilsbry, 1939
P. nachiyacu
Pilsbry, 1939
During a recent revision of Plekocheilus species from both countries, Francisco Borrero and I were pretty sure that we recognized both taxa. However, P. oligostylus was found among Ecuadorian material, while P. nachiyacu was identified with Colombian shells.
This seemed to be consistent with the data provided by Clench & Turner (1962):
When we asked the collections manager of the Philadelphia museum, Amanda Lawless, about details of P. nachiyacu, she provided proof of its label:
“Just to let you know that the label states that the lot is from Nachiyacu, Ecuador. I checked the original ledger as well and at the time this lot was donated by Pilsbry, he also donated two other lots from Ecuador and one from Colombia. The one from Colombia was a different species and had no other specific data, maybe Clench and Turner got confused by this one. With the lot, there is also an original handwritten slip of paper with specific locality info on it stating it is from Ecuador”.
This is the type of confusion I meant... Pilsbry right and Clench wrong, or vice versa? To be continued.
References:
Clench, W.J. & Turner, R.D., 1962. New names introduced by H.A. Pilsbry in the Mollusca and Crustacea. - Special Publications, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, 4: 1-218.
Pilsbry, H.A., 1939. Sout American land mollusks, X. Species of Ecuador and Colombia. - Notulae Naturae 19: 1-6.
Some historical malaco-trivia about messing up things with types... Our figureheads: Henry A. Pilsbry and William J. Clench.
In 1939, Pilsbry described several species from Ecuador and Colombia (Pilsbry, 1939). He based himself on material from R.W. Jackson, and Hno. Nicéforo Maria respectively. The taxa under dispute: Plekocheilus oligostylus, described from “Colombia”, and Plekocheilus nachiyacu, described from “Nachiyacu, Ecuador”.
P. oligostylus
Pilsbry, 1939
P. nachiyacu
Pilsbry, 1939
During a recent revision of Plekocheilus species from both countries, Francisco Borrero and I were pretty sure that we recognized both taxa. However, P. oligostylus was found among Ecuadorian material, while P. nachiyacu was identified with Colombian shells.
This seemed to be consistent with the data provided by Clench & Turner (1962):
When we asked the collections manager of the Philadelphia museum, Amanda Lawless, about details of P. nachiyacu, she provided proof of its label:
“Just to let you know that the label states that the lot is from Nachiyacu, Ecuador. I checked the original ledger as well and at the time this lot was donated by Pilsbry, he also donated two other lots from Ecuador and one from Colombia. The one from Colombia was a different species and had no other specific data, maybe Clench and Turner got confused by this one. With the lot, there is also an original handwritten slip of paper with specific locality info on it stating it is from Ecuador”.
This is the type of confusion I meant... Pilsbry right and Clench wrong, or vice versa? To be continued.
References:
Clench, W.J. & Turner, R.D., 1962. New names introduced by H.A. Pilsbry in the Mollusca and Crustacea. - Special Publications, Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, 4: 1-218.
Pilsbry, H.A., 1939. Sout American land mollusks, X. Species of Ecuador and Colombia. - Notulae Naturae 19: 1-6.
The coloratus saga
02-08-2010 19:01
One of the species in
our revision to be included is Plekocheilus (Eurytus)
coloratus (Nyst, 1845). Although there is no
type material known, it is as such fairly easily
identifiable but we found it in museum collections
quite mixed up with other taxa as well.
We’re not decided yet if we are going to solve this messy complex right now, but at least found five different morphotypes.
A preliminary elevational analysis shows the following ranges:
1 - 0-1800 m
2 - 0-1800 m
3 - 70-2300 m
4 - 1500-3600
5 - 325-1500 m
All this actually shows is that morphs 4 and 5 are at different elevations but all others overlap.
We may not be able to solve this puzzle at this very moment (and with shells only), but for now the coloratus saga continues...
We’re not decided yet if we are going to solve this messy complex right now, but at least found five different morphotypes.
A preliminary elevational analysis shows the following ranges:
1 - 0-1800 m
2 - 0-1800 m
3 - 70-2300 m
4 - 1500-3600
5 - 325-1500 m
All this actually shows is that morphs 4 and 5 are at different elevations but all others overlap.
We may not be able to solve this puzzle at this very moment (and with shells only), but for now the coloratus saga continues...
Some progress
28-07-2010 22:12
During the last few
days we did some hard work to double-check all
localities and georeference them. Today we finished
for Plekocheilus
and Dryptus. The result may be shown here,
made with SimpleMappr.
The program (or rather the site) allows also for saving the data as KML file for visualizing in Google Earth.
Continuing with this work for the different species.
The program (or rather the site) allows also for saving the data as KML file for visualizing in Google Earth.
Continuing with this work for the different species.
Photo of the day (103): Drymaeus
07-07-2010 21:40
Ever seen a snail
attempting to make a somersault?
These are pictures of Drymaeus (D.) murrinus (Reeve, 1848), made by Alan Pierre Infante. The specimens were found near Bogotá.
Even if the colour of the animal seems of little diagnotstic value, it is nice to see them pictured alive.
These are pictures of Drymaeus (D.) murrinus (Reeve, 1848), made by Alan Pierre Infante. The specimens were found near Bogotá.
Even if the colour of the animal seems of little diagnotstic value, it is nice to see them pictured alive.
Orthalicid radulae (8): Plekocheilus
22-06-2010 14:15
To continue
this
series,
this time a species from Colombia, Cundinamarca,
near Mosquera (RMNH): Plekocheilus (Aeropictus)
delicatus (Pilsbry, 1935). The radula
formula is C + L/1 + M/70.
Shown clockwise, from upper left: overview of part of radula, central part, marginals 5-9 resp. 48-63.
Shown clockwise, from upper left: overview of part of radula, central part, marginals 5-9 resp. 48-63.
Colombian páramos
21-06-2010 19:49
Even at high altitudes
you may be able to find interesting snail habitats.
In the Andes they range from the puno in Bolivia and
Peru to the páramo in Ecuador and Colombia.
I like those high altitude habitats, as they offer both plenty of natural conditions (relatively unspoiled by human kind) and interesting ecological niches for snails. In Colombia there are niches in (sub)páramo areas for e.g. Stenostylus and Plekocheilus.
Although there is now a huge amount of scientific literature on páramos - thanks to the work of Thomas van der Hammen, Antoine Cleef, Henry Hooghiemstra and many Colombian co-workers - the more easy-accessible literature is sparse. Last week my attention was drawn to a very good summarizing publication on Colombian páramos. It has also very good maps of the different páramo areas, like e.g. here the map of the Tatamá Natural Park at the border of Chocó, Valle del Cauca and Riseralda.
Thanks Francisco for sharing this useful source of information.
I like those high altitude habitats, as they offer both plenty of natural conditions (relatively unspoiled by human kind) and interesting ecological niches for snails. In Colombia there are niches in (sub)páramo areas for e.g. Stenostylus and Plekocheilus.
Although there is now a huge amount of scientific literature on páramos - thanks to the work of Thomas van der Hammen, Antoine Cleef, Henry Hooghiemstra and many Colombian co-workers - the more easy-accessible literature is sparse. Last week my attention was drawn to a very good summarizing publication on Colombian páramos. It has also very good maps of the different páramo areas, like e.g. here the map of the Tatamá Natural Park at the border of Chocó, Valle del Cauca and Riseralda.
Thanks Francisco for sharing this useful source of information.
Puzzling with shells and geography
14-06-2010 13:45
For a paper in
preparation about Colombian species, Francisco
Borrero and I have been puzzling with some
localities. Earlier, I posted on this topic
here.
This time the hunt was for the type locality
of Plekocheilus
taquinensis (Pfeiffer, 1855), a place called
Taquina which is not in the gazetteers we consulted.
All we knew was that Taquina is located somewhere in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, at around 2700 m. We also knew that the British conchologist Tom Pain collected the species “in the vicinity of the type locality” in 1939 (Crowley & Pain, 1958).
The solution came when we found two sources with the help of other disciplines. The first was Todd & Carriker’s 1922 paper on birds of the area; they have a map which shows several Indian villages in the north-eastern part of the Sierra. This was confirmed by a geographical study by Simmons (1981).
Another puzzling species was Plekocheilus couturesi (Ancey, 1900), described from Bolivia. The type has recently been figured by Wood & Gallichan (2008). Since the shell was unlike the few Bolivian Plekocheilus species, but more resembled some forms from Colombia, I decided to ask for additional pictures to the National Museum of Wales. When I received these photographs, it appeared that the sculpture of the shells was peculiar and similar to that on shells we have from the Tatamá National Park in the Riseralda/Chocó area. Which led us to believe that this taxon was actually a Colombian and not a Bolivian species.
We first tried to trace the source of the shell, collected by G. Coutures. However, we couldn’t find any data on this person and his itinerary in South America. Puzzling...
The story became more complicated, when we received pictures of the type material of P. taquinensis, showing that this species has a similar sculpture. Now we had two different sources for the type locality of couturesi, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in the northern part and the Cordillera Occidental in the western part of Colombia. Very puzzling... However, the shell shape of couturesi is slightly dissimilar to the shells of these two localities, which are both at high altitudes (2700-3600 m).
It then occurred to Francisco that “Bolivia” might not refer to a country, but to a locality of the same name. Could we find such a locality at an appropriate elevation? To my surprise, the GNS gazetteer gave 10 places named Bolivia in various departments of Colombia. Then it was only a matter of scoring out, to be left with a single locality that seems the most likely candidate. It is in the western part of Tolima on the border with Valle del Cauca.
Puzzling with shells and geography, this time with a happy ending...
References:
Crowley, T.E. & Pain, T., 1958. On an unfigured species of Plekocheilus (Eurytus). - Journal of Conchology 24: 234-235.
Simmons, F.A.A., 1981. On the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and its watershed. - Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society 12: 717-718.
Todd, W.E.C. & Carriker, M.A. jr, 1922. The birds of the Santa Marta region of Colombia: A study in altitudinal distribution. - Annals of the Carnegie Museum 14: 3-583.
Wood, H. & Gallichan, J., 2008. The new molluscan names of César-Marie-Felix Ancey, including illustrated type material from the National Museum of Wales. Studies in Biodiversity and Systematics of Terrestrial Organisms from the National Museum of Wales. Biotir Reports 3: i-vi, 1-162.
All we knew was that Taquina is located somewhere in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, at around 2700 m. We also knew that the British conchologist Tom Pain collected the species “in the vicinity of the type locality” in 1939 (Crowley & Pain, 1958).
The solution came when we found two sources with the help of other disciplines. The first was Todd & Carriker’s 1922 paper on birds of the area; they have a map which shows several Indian villages in the north-eastern part of the Sierra. This was confirmed by a geographical study by Simmons (1981).
Another puzzling species was Plekocheilus couturesi (Ancey, 1900), described from Bolivia. The type has recently been figured by Wood & Gallichan (2008). Since the shell was unlike the few Bolivian Plekocheilus species, but more resembled some forms from Colombia, I decided to ask for additional pictures to the National Museum of Wales. When I received these photographs, it appeared that the sculpture of the shells was peculiar and similar to that on shells we have from the Tatamá National Park in the Riseralda/Chocó area. Which led us to believe that this taxon was actually a Colombian and not a Bolivian species.
We first tried to trace the source of the shell, collected by G. Coutures. However, we couldn’t find any data on this person and his itinerary in South America. Puzzling...
The story became more complicated, when we received pictures of the type material of P. taquinensis, showing that this species has a similar sculpture. Now we had two different sources for the type locality of couturesi, the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in the northern part and the Cordillera Occidental in the western part of Colombia. Very puzzling... However, the shell shape of couturesi is slightly dissimilar to the shells of these two localities, which are both at high altitudes (2700-3600 m).
It then occurred to Francisco that “Bolivia” might not refer to a country, but to a locality of the same name. Could we find such a locality at an appropriate elevation? To my surprise, the GNS gazetteer gave 10 places named Bolivia in various departments of Colombia. Then it was only a matter of scoring out, to be left with a single locality that seems the most likely candidate. It is in the western part of Tolima on the border with Valle del Cauca.
Puzzling with shells and geography, this time with a happy ending...
References:
Crowley, T.E. & Pain, T., 1958. On an unfigured species of Plekocheilus (Eurytus). - Journal of Conchology 24: 234-235.
Simmons, F.A.A., 1981. On the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and its watershed. - Proceedings of the Royal Geographical Society 12: 717-718.
Todd, W.E.C. & Carriker, M.A. jr, 1922. The birds of the Santa Marta region of Colombia: A study in altitudinal distribution. - Annals of the Carnegie Museum 14: 3-583.
Wood, H. & Gallichan, J., 2008. The new molluscan names of César-Marie-Felix Ancey, including illustrated type material from the National Museum of Wales. Studies in Biodiversity and Systematics of Terrestrial Organisms from the National Museum of Wales. Biotir Reports 3: i-vi, 1-162.
Unknown helicinids and cyclophorids
28-04-2010 09:06
Cyclophoridae and
Helicinidae are notorious difficult groups and beyond
my own focus of specialization. I recently received
some pictures of helicinids, one live specimen and
one of a shell only, plus some pictures of live
cyclophorids. Just sharing these pictures with you;
if someone has a name, let me know.
The first helicinid is from Adrián González and was found during a recent trip to the cloud forest in Junín area in Prov. Imbabura, Ecuador. It is as Bourciera helicinaeformis Pfeiffer, 1851 mentioned in literature.
The second species was collected by Raúl Zea in Colombia, Cundinamarca, near Soacha.
He also sent me this picture of a Neocyclotus (?), which was collected by Gilman Santander near Armenía, Quindío, Colombia.
Finally, Adrián González sent me pictures of a similar (but distinct) species, found near Tembor, Chical area, northern Ecuador at 1700 m.
The first helicinid is from Adrián González and was found during a recent trip to the cloud forest in Junín area in Prov. Imbabura, Ecuador. It is as Bourciera helicinaeformis Pfeiffer, 1851 mentioned in literature.
The second species was collected by Raúl Zea in Colombia, Cundinamarca, near Soacha.
He also sent me this picture of a Neocyclotus (?), which was collected by Gilman Santander near Armenía, Quindío, Colombia.
Finally, Adrián González sent me pictures of a similar (but distinct) species, found near Tembor, Chical area, northern Ecuador at 1700 m.
Photo of the day (88): Simpulopsis
02-04-2010 13:44
The same species that
is shown in the previous
post in
this series, Simpulopsis
citrinovitrea (Moricand, 1836) is here
depictured from two other localities.
The first one is from Ecuador, Pichincha, Mindo.
The second series was taken in Colombia, Riseralda, region of Otun-Quimbaya.
All pictures were sent to me by Francisco Borrero.
The first one is from Ecuador, Pichincha, Mindo.
The second series was taken in Colombia, Riseralda, region of Otun-Quimbaya.
All pictures were sent to me by Francisco Borrero.
New books
04-02-2010 07:12
Three new books have
been published or announced, that might be
interesting for those interested in the Cuban
malacofauna and the geology and biogeography of
Amazonia.
The first is a book by Espinosa & Ortea, published by Spartacus Foundation and the Cuban Zoological Society. I haven’t seen it myself yet, but I found the following announcement of a book dealer:
This is a gorgeous book and I think that the photography here is possibly the best live animal photography that I have seen in all of my other titles. It is simply amazing and the book is also an amazing work. Its focus is to introduce us to the numerous families of terrestrial mollusks that live in Cuba. Most of the shells are show alive in their natural habitat in extreme close up. The text (in Spanish) gives us an overview of the shell family, its habitat , the characteristic of these shells and a lot of background information. My Spanish is not good enough to understand the more technical details that the authors have written but from what I can understand it is a carefully written and thoroughly researched book. The authors and the photographer are prominent workers in the scientific field and it is a shame that their names and their works are not well know in the USA. The last section of their book is a check list of 1393 species of land-shells found in Cuba.
From what I saw of the pictures in the announcement, some will be the same as those used in the book of González. They partly share the same photographer. Hopefully, they have corrected all the errors they made in the previous version of their checklist (Espinosa & Ortega, 1999). But a judgement should be postponed till I have actually seen the book.
The second book on Cuban terrestrial snails is, if possible, even more obscure and curious. It is a publication based on an unfinished manuscript of Torre & Bartsch. There is a quite complication story to this book (which is beyond the scope of this blog), that has been published as a tribute to Carlos de la Torre y Huerta (1858-1950) in 2008. From what I know, several new species are described in this book, casting an interesting question on the rules of nomenclature. Are they to be credited to the original authors (as posthume work) or to the editor of this book?
Again, let’s first see this book before making a judgement.
Finally, an impressive book will be published on February 16, entitled “Amazonia: landscape and species evolution. A look into the past”. I had the privilege to have a sneak preview and I can assure you this will be a reference work for those working on the biogeography of northern South America.
This book focuses on geological history as the critical factor in determining the present biodiversity and landscapes of Amazonia. We explore the different driving mechanisms for landscape evolution by reviewing the history of the Amazon Craton, the associated sedimentary basins, and the role of mountain uplift and climate change. Throughout the book we provide an insight into the Meso- and Cenozoic record of Amazonia that was characterized by fluvial and long-lived lake systems and a highly diverse flora and fauna. This fauna includes giants such as the ca. 12 m long caiman Purussaurus, but also a varied fish fauna and fragile molluscs, whilst fossil pollen and spores form relics of ancestral swamps and rainforests.
Finally, we review the molecular datasets of the modern Amazonian rainforest and aquatic ecosystem, and discuss the possible relations between the origin of Amazonian species diversity and the palaeogeographic, palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental evolution of northern South America. The multidisciplinary approach in evaluating the history of Amazonia has resulted in a comprehensive volume that provides novel insights into the evolution of this region and can serve as reference for a variety of scientists working in Amazonia.
The book is written by leading scientists of the Amazonian research community and should be of interest to all students and researchers concerned with the natural history of Amazonia. Potential readers will include geologists, geographers and biologists who wish to understand the evolution of landscapes and biota of this unique region.
I hope to briefly review this book after its publication.
References:
Espinosa, J. & Ortega, J., 2009. Moluscos terrestres de Cuba: 1-191. Spartacus Foundation/Sociedad Cubana de Zoología.
Hoorn C. & Wesselingh, F. (eds.), 2010. Amazonia: landscape and species evolution. A look into the past: 1-447. Wiley-Blackwell.
Torre, C. de la & Bartsch, P., 2008. Los moluscos terrestres Cubanos de la familia Urocoptidae: 1-730 + 1-23. Editoria Científico-Técnica, La Habana/Ruth Casa, Panama.
The first is a book by Espinosa & Ortea, published by Spartacus Foundation and the Cuban Zoological Society. I haven’t seen it myself yet, but I found the following announcement of a book dealer:
This is a gorgeous book and I think that the photography here is possibly the best live animal photography that I have seen in all of my other titles. It is simply amazing and the book is also an amazing work. Its focus is to introduce us to the numerous families of terrestrial mollusks that live in Cuba. Most of the shells are show alive in their natural habitat in extreme close up. The text (in Spanish) gives us an overview of the shell family, its habitat , the characteristic of these shells and a lot of background information. My Spanish is not good enough to understand the more technical details that the authors have written but from what I can understand it is a carefully written and thoroughly researched book. The authors and the photographer are prominent workers in the scientific field and it is a shame that their names and their works are not well know in the USA. The last section of their book is a check list of 1393 species of land-shells found in Cuba.
From what I saw of the pictures in the announcement, some will be the same as those used in the book of González. They partly share the same photographer. Hopefully, they have corrected all the errors they made in the previous version of their checklist (Espinosa & Ortega, 1999). But a judgement should be postponed till I have actually seen the book.
The second book on Cuban terrestrial snails is, if possible, even more obscure and curious. It is a publication based on an unfinished manuscript of Torre & Bartsch. There is a quite complication story to this book (which is beyond the scope of this blog), that has been published as a tribute to Carlos de la Torre y Huerta (1858-1950) in 2008. From what I know, several new species are described in this book, casting an interesting question on the rules of nomenclature. Are they to be credited to the original authors (as posthume work) or to the editor of this book?
Again, let’s first see this book before making a judgement.
Finally, an impressive book will be published on February 16, entitled “Amazonia: landscape and species evolution. A look into the past”. I had the privilege to have a sneak preview and I can assure you this will be a reference work for those working on the biogeography of northern South America.
This book focuses on geological history as the critical factor in determining the present biodiversity and landscapes of Amazonia. We explore the different driving mechanisms for landscape evolution by reviewing the history of the Amazon Craton, the associated sedimentary basins, and the role of mountain uplift and climate change. Throughout the book we provide an insight into the Meso- and Cenozoic record of Amazonia that was characterized by fluvial and long-lived lake systems and a highly diverse flora and fauna. This fauna includes giants such as the ca. 12 m long caiman Purussaurus, but also a varied fish fauna and fragile molluscs, whilst fossil pollen and spores form relics of ancestral swamps and rainforests.
Finally, we review the molecular datasets of the modern Amazonian rainforest and aquatic ecosystem, and discuss the possible relations between the origin of Amazonian species diversity and the palaeogeographic, palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental evolution of northern South America. The multidisciplinary approach in evaluating the history of Amazonia has resulted in a comprehensive volume that provides novel insights into the evolution of this region and can serve as reference for a variety of scientists working in Amazonia.
The book is written by leading scientists of the Amazonian research community and should be of interest to all students and researchers concerned with the natural history of Amazonia. Potential readers will include geologists, geographers and biologists who wish to understand the evolution of landscapes and biota of this unique region.
I hope to briefly review this book after its publication.
References:
Espinosa, J. & Ortega, J., 2009. Moluscos terrestres de Cuba: 1-191. Spartacus Foundation/Sociedad Cubana de Zoología.
Hoorn C. & Wesselingh, F. (eds.), 2010. Amazonia: landscape and species evolution. A look into the past: 1-447. Wiley-Blackwell.
Torre, C. de la & Bartsch, P., 2008. Los moluscos terrestres Cubanos de la familia Urocoptidae: 1-730 + 1-23. Editoria Científico-Técnica, La Habana/Ruth Casa, Panama.
Photo of the day (75): Hemibulimus
29-10-2009 09:58
This picture was taken
in Colombia, Dept. Cauca, Zingara. It is a specimen
of Hemibulimus
dennisoni (Reeve, 1848). When you compare it
to the picture that was posted previously,
the greenish colour of the Zingara specimen is
remarkable.
According to Andrés Quintaro - who kindly sent me the photograph - the shell is grown with algae. Possibly when the periostracum erodes away during the snail’s life, the shell surface becomes rugged enough for algae if the circumstances are right.
According to Andrés Quintaro - who kindly sent me the photograph - the shell is grown with algae. Possibly when the periostracum erodes away during the snail’s life, the shell surface becomes rugged enough for algae if the circumstances are right.
Photo of the day (74): Rhodea
26-10-2009 22:05
A very peculiar and
characteristic genus, occurring in Colombia and
northern Ecuador, is Rhodea. It is classified with the
Subulinidae, but its anatomy is unknown. Grego et al.
(2007) published a review in which they (re)described
9 species and gave details on their distribution.
Most species are known from old material only and it
may be concluded that Rhodea is a rare find nowadays.
Andrés Quintaro recently found these specimens of R. gigantea Mousson, 1873 during field work in Valle del Cauca, near Laguna Calima.
Reference:
Grego, J., Steffek, J. & Infante, A.P., 2007. Review of the genus Rhodea (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Subulinidae), with description of two new species from Colombia. - Basteria 71: 13-28.
Andrés Quintaro recently found these specimens of R. gigantea Mousson, 1873 during field work in Valle del Cauca, near Laguna Calima.
Reference:
Grego, J., Steffek, J. & Infante, A.P., 2007. Review of the genus Rhodea (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Subulinidae), with description of two new species from Colombia. - Basteria 71: 13-28.
Photo of the day (70): Isomeria
16-10-2009 21:57
Andrés Quintaro kindly
sent me some new pictures of Colombian land snails
and I’m happy to share them with you.
This is Isomeria oreas (Koch, 1845) and was photographed in Dept. Tolima, near Filandia.
This is Isomeria oreas (Koch, 1845) and was photographed in Dept. Tolima, near Filandia.
Photo of the day (58): Columbinia
10-08-2009 21:43
Today a picture of a clausiliid species, that Andrés
Quintero found while doing field work in Filandia,
Dept. Quindio, Colombia. It is
Columbinia
columbiana
(Polinski, 1924).
Thanks Andrés, for sharing this picture.
Thanks Andrés, for sharing this picture.
Sweeping tails and turning shells
04-08-2009 23:01
Andrés Quintero sent me a very short video that he
made some years ago while doing field work in
Filandia, Dept. Quindío, Colombia. The video was shot
during the night and it shows a specimen of
Drymaeus
flexuosus
(Pfeiffer, 1853). It remains at the same place while
moving his body vigorously, sweeping his tail and
turning his shell. The animal continued this
behaviour during about half an hour.
Although these stills are somewhat out focus, the complete video (MP4, WMV) shows clearly the behaviour in a convincing way.
Like Andrés, I am curious if anyone of my readership has seen this behaviour before while observing snails. And if so, what do you have as explanation? Where and what species did show this behaviour when you observed it?Please, share your ideas with us.
Although these stills are somewhat out focus, the complete video (MP4, WMV) shows clearly the behaviour in a convincing way.
Like Andrés, I am curious if anyone of my readership has seen this behaviour before while observing snails. And if so, what do you have as explanation? Where and what species did show this behaviour when you observed it?Please, share your ideas with us.
Photo of the day (57): Hemibulimus
03-07-2009 21:59
Colombian land snails are relatively poorly known
(although I’m working hard to have a paper ready
later this year). Therefore, I’m really glad that
Andrés Quintero Angel sent me some pictures that he
made in the field. Today a photograph of the
orthalicid
Hemibulimus
dennisoni
(Reeve, 1848).
The picture was taken in Dept. Tolima, near Filandia.
Andrés, many thanks for sharing this picture with us.
The picture was taken in Dept. Tolima, near Filandia.
Andrés, many thanks for sharing this picture with us.
Photo of the day (29): Corona
20-12-2008 16:20
Another picture of Corona, this time C. perversa
(Swainson, 1822). This specimen was observed
hibernating in a tree near Puerto Nariño, Amazonas,
Colombia.
Thanks Frank, for the picture.
Thanks Frank, for the picture.
Photo of the day (28): Drymaeus
15-12-2008 09:01
Alan Pierre Infante kindly sent me some pictures of a
Drymaeus species encountedred by him in Colombia,
Dept. Quindío, Calarcá.
The colour of the tentacles are unlike anything I have seen so far in the Orthalicidae. What would the selective advantage be of bright coloured tentacles?
Although it is difficult to say with certainty from this picture alone, I think this species is probably Drymaeus baranguillanus (Pfeiffer, 1853).
Thanks Alan!
The colour of the tentacles are unlike anything I have seen so far in the Orthalicidae. What would the selective advantage be of bright coloured tentacles?
Although it is difficult to say with certainty from this picture alone, I think this species is probably Drymaeus baranguillanus (Pfeiffer, 1853).
Thanks Alan!
Is there a relation with deforestation?
17-07-2008 20:23
It is pure speculation, but just as with
Ecuador,
I suspect a correlation between deforestation and the
"missing re-occurrences" of many once described snail
species in Colombia. One would expect that human
impact on the land cover change must have its toll
also in the malacofauna. Again, I don't know for
sure, but it could be an area for further research.
Here are some data that I found in Etter et al (2006):
With modelling the likelihood of deforestation was predicted and compared with observations using remote sensing techniques. The above map give the results in combination with areas of high biodiversity. But what is also clear from the figure, is the large area of cleared forests (gray). Of course it will depend to some extent in what the new land use is, but arboreal species will prove to be vulnerable (to say the least). It is exactly what I observe in my species list. But no hard data. Yet...
Reference:
Etter, A., McAlpine, C., Wilson, K., Phinn, S. & Possingham, H. (2006). Regional patterns of agricultural land use and deforestation in Colombia. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 114, 369-386.
Here are some data that I found in Etter et al (2006):
With modelling the likelihood of deforestation was predicted and compared with observations using remote sensing techniques. The above map give the results in combination with areas of high biodiversity. But what is also clear from the figure, is the large area of cleared forests (gray). Of course it will depend to some extent in what the new land use is, but arboreal species will prove to be vulnerable (to say the least). It is exactly what I observe in my species list. But no hard data. Yet...
Reference:
Etter, A., McAlpine, C., Wilson, K., Phinn, S. & Possingham, H. (2006). Regional patterns of agricultural land use and deforestation in Colombia. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 114, 369-386.
Photo of the day (14): Porphyrobaphe
20-06-2008 07:45
This is Porphyrobaphe (P.) iris (Pfeiffer, 1852),
found at Colombia, Dept. Riseralda, Sanctuario de
Fauna y Flora Otun-Quimbaya. The picture was talen by
Gustavo Kattan; courtesy of Francisco Borrero.
Photo of the day (4): Stenostylus
02-04-2008 21:02
Later this year you will see this picture again in an
upcoming paper on enigmatic species. It was taken by
Antoine M. Cleef in Colombia, Páramo de Almorzadero,
4200 m.
Stenostylus nigrolimbatus (Pfeiffer, 1854)
Stenostylus nigrolimbatus (Pfeiffer, 1854)
Photo of the day (2): Plekocheilus
28-03-2008 18:13
Today I even have two new photographs (and more
coming), thanks to the courtesy of Toine Cleef who
searched through his old slides from field work.
This time a rather common species from the Bogotá region, Plekocheilus (Aeropictus) succinoides (Petit, 1840), taken at Páramo de la Rusia, Colombia.
This time a rather common species from the Bogotá region, Plekocheilus (Aeropictus) succinoides (Petit, 1840), taken at Páramo de la Rusia, Colombia.
Embarrassing or what?
05-03-2008 15:29
Sometimes I really feel embarrassed, like today when
I received the picture of the lectotype of Bulimus
nigrolimbatus Pfeiffer, 1854. It was described from
the 'Andes of New Grenada', which is not very
informative at all as it could be anywhere in
northwestern South America. Nobody has ever since
recollected this species or recognized it in
collections. It is the type species of Stenostylus
Pilsbry 1898, originally described as a section of
Drymaeus Albers, 1850, but erected to generic level
by Weyrauch in 1956. According to him there were
three characteristics that separated this new genus
from Drymaeus:
1) a thin cuticula that peels off the shell, 2) the
surface of the postembryonic whorls with incrassate
growth striae, 3) a pearly luster on the inside of
the aperture.
Bulimus nigrolimbatus Pfr.,
lectotype BMNH 1975549
Do you see a cuticula that peels off? Or a pearly luster within the aperture? Does this seem to be an adult specimen to you? No-no-yes to me when I found this type in the BMNH, back in 1975. We didn't have digital cameras in those days, so I had to be very dainty in the photographs I took. Anyhow, this shell was not included.
Several years later I received shells from Toine Cleef, collected by him at Páramo de Almorzadero in Colombia. Typical Drymaeus protoconch, totally different from what I had seen from that country. To keep this story short: it was published as a new species (Breure & Eskens, 1981). Today I realized that these shells are the adult form of nigrolimbatus, which was apparently described from a subadult specimen.
This new synonymy will be published in a paper on enigmatic species, to appear later this year. I found the home of a "ghost species", but still feel somewhat embarrassed.
References:
Breure, A.S.H. & A.A.C. Eskens (1981). Notes on and descriptions of Bulimulidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda), 2. Zoologische Verhandelingen 186: 1-111.
Bulimus nigrolimbatus Pfr.,
lectotype BMNH 1975549Do you see a cuticula that peels off? Or a pearly luster within the aperture? Does this seem to be an adult specimen to you? No-no-yes to me when I found this type in the BMNH, back in 1975. We didn't have digital cameras in those days, so I had to be very dainty in the photographs I took. Anyhow, this shell was not included.
Several years later I received shells from Toine Cleef, collected by him at Páramo de Almorzadero in Colombia. Typical Drymaeus protoconch, totally different from what I had seen from that country. To keep this story short: it was published as a new species (Breure & Eskens, 1981). Today I realized that these shells are the adult form of nigrolimbatus, which was apparently described from a subadult specimen.
This new synonymy will be published in a paper on enigmatic species, to appear later this year. I found the home of a "ghost species", but still feel somewhat embarrassed.
References:
Breure, A.S.H. & A.A.C. Eskens (1981). Notes on and descriptions of Bulimulidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda), 2. Zoologische Verhandelingen 186: 1-111.
An interim balance (2)
16-12-2007 20:15
This is the second time
I'm using this heading. The first time was dealing
with Ecuador.
Now the checklist for Colombia is on its way and,
although much remains to be done, the data available
have been geo-referenced. The same sort of picture
emerges: lots of localities in the Cordilleras,
hardly any in the eastern part of the country and in
the lowlands in the western side.
As the data predominantly have been derived from ancient collections, I wonder if this is a bias reflecting the past. Would data from recent collections also show the same pattern?
As the data predominantly have been derived from ancient collections, I wonder if this is a bias reflecting the past. Would data from recent collections also show the same pattern?
Colombian Plekocheilus
06-12-2007 21:04
Working on Colombian Orthalicoidea, I inventarized
all data on the genus Plekocheilus so far available
to me. It's quite a list, with 40 taxa of which 4 are
doubtful occurrences in Colombia. Of the remaining 36
taxa, there are 8 that are only known by the type
material. For the shortlist of 28 taxa I found 75
localities in museums (collections and databases) and
literature that could be georeferenced.
A first rough analysis in Maxent revealed a pattern somewhat similar to that I found in Ecuador, however it needs more analysis to find out a realistic distribution. The number of occurrences is higher in Colombia, at least allowing for some analysis on species level.
Anyway, my first impression is that also in this country part of it is seriously undersampled, not only for this genus but for the family as a whole.
A first rough analysis in Maxent revealed a pattern somewhat similar to that I found in Ecuador, however it needs more analysis to find out a realistic distribution. The number of occurrences is higher in Colombia, at least allowing for some analysis on species level.
Anyway, my first impression is that also in this country part of it is seriously undersampled, not only for this genus but for the family as a whole.