An integrative taxonomic approach to infer the systematic position of Chalepotaxis Ancey, 1887 (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora: Helicarionidae)

ABSTRACT

In the absence of knowledge about its anatomy, the systematic position of the genus Chalepotaxis, which inhabits a large part of South East Asia, has been historically dubious. The genitalia, sole of the foot and the caudal region of the type species, Chalepotaxis infantilis (Gredler, V. 1881. Zur Conchylien-Fauna von China. III. Stück. Jahrbücher der Deutschen Malakozoologischen Gesellschaft 8, 110–128), are described, which place this genus into the Helicarionidae family. DNA markers (cytochrome oxidase subunit I [COI] and 28S rRNA genes) corroborate this assignment and unequivocally remove the species from the Camaenidae (=Bradybaenidae) and Ariophantidae, where it had previously been placed. Radular morphology of the type species is also re-described and illustrated.

KEYWORDS:

• 28S
• anatomy
• cytochrome oxidase subunit I
• integrative taxonomy
• phylogeny
• radula morphology

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Kurt Auffenberg for correcting the English, to Katharina Jaksch (NHMW) and Sonja Bamberger (NHMW) for their help in the laboratory, and to Isabel Hyman, John Stanisic and Winston Ponder for reviewing the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI) from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science to Takahiro Asami. Zoltán Fehér was supported by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF P 26581-B25). Barna Páll-Gergely is an International Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. We are indebted to The Biodiversity Heritage Library for the multitude of rare literature made available to us (http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org).