Messageria Bavay & Dautzenberg, 1904

Genus Messageria Bavay & Dautzenberg, 1904 View in CoL

( Fig. 13D–F View Figure 13 )

Helicomorpha (Messageria) Bavay and Dautzenberg, 1904: 229 . Helicomorpha (Messageria) —Wenz, 1938 (1938–1944): 479. Messageria View in CoL — Chen and Lin, 2021: 129.

Tope species: Helicomorpha (Messageria) scalarioides Bavay & Dautzenberg, 1904 View in CoL , by original designation.

Content: Messageria scalarioides ( Bavay & Dautzenberg, 1904) ( Fig. 13D–F View Figure 13 ) and Messageria sinica Z.-Y. Chen & L.-W. Lin, 2021.

Distribution: Northern Vietnam and Guangxi ( China).

Remarks: Two syntypes (an adult and a subadult one) of Helicomorpha scalarioides were examined. One of them is an adult shell, which is hereby selected to be the lectotype (MNHN-IM-2000-32414; fig. 1 in Chen and Lin 2021). In oblique apertural view, several openings on the inner tube are visible, resembling those described in Laotia . In the subadult paralectotype (MNHN-IM-2000-32415; see Fig. 13E, F View Figure 13 ), the openings start immediately before the peristome. In the adult lectotype, the openings start more distantly from the peristome.

Messageria View in CoL was described as a subgenus of the diplommatinid Helicomorpha Möllendorff, 1890 View in CoL (type species: Helicomorpha turricula Möllendorff, 1890 View in CoL by original designation). Currently, nine species of Helicomorpha View in CoL inhabit the Philippines ( Kobelt 1902). Chen and Lin (2021) elevated Messageria View in CoL to the genus level and transferred it to the Alycaeidae View in CoL owing to features of the shell and operculum shared with Laotia View in CoL .

We received photographs of the lectotype of Helicomorpha turricula View in CoL (Supporting Information, Fig. S6A View Figure 6 ) and borrowed four species from the MNCN ( Helicomorpha pilula Quadras & Möllendorff, 1896 View in CoL : Sierra Bullones, isla de Bohol, Filipinas, coll. Azpeitia 2760, MNCN 28808/2, see Supporting Information, Fig. S6B–D View Figure 6 ; Helicomorpha quadrasi Möllendorff, 1893 View in CoL : Malitbog, isla de Leyte, Filipinas, coll. Azpeitia, 2761, MNCN 28809/2; Helicomorpha turricula View in CoL , Filipinas, Azpeitia, 2762, MNCN 28812/2; and Helicomorpha depressa Möllendorff, 1893 View in CoL : Cantanduanes, isla Cantanduanes, Filipinas, coll. Azpeitia, 2798, MNCN 28801/2). Te borrowed shells (Supporting Information, Fig. S6B–D View Figure 6 ) showed no signs of an inner tube or separate sutural chambers, which are visible in Messageria scalarioides View in CoL and Laotia cf. christahemmenae View in CoL . Terefore, Helicomorpha View in CoL is confirmed to belong to the family Diplommatinidae View in CoL , whereas it does not belong to the subfamily Laotiinae proposed for Laotia View in CoL and Messageria View in CoL , both possessing sutural chambers.