Cyclophorus subfloridus Ancey, 1888

Cyclophorus subfloridus Ancey, 1888 View in CoL [ 92]

Conchological description. Medium-sized Cyclophorus species, overall shell shape rounded, aperture typically circular. Shell height 22.3 to 30.4 mm (mean = 26.7 mm), shell breadth 23.9 to 33.7 mm (mean = 29.6 mm) (sub-group I: shell height 25.2 to 30.4 mm

(mean = 28.2 mm), shell breadth 29.0 to 33.7 mm (mean = 31.4 mm); sub-group II: shell height 22.3 to 27.4 mm (mean = 25.2 mm), shell breadth 23.9 to 30.3 mm (mean = 27.7 mm)). Number of whorls 5 to 5.5 (sub-group I: 5.25 to 5.5; sub-group II: 5 to 5.25). Early whorls with bluish colouration. Shape of body whorl usually uncompressed; rounded or well-rounded (sub-group I: usually uncompressed; well-rounded or rounded; sub-group II: uncompressed; usually rounded). Lip reflected and simple, or unreflected and duplicated (sub-group I: reflected and simple; sub-group II: reflected and simple, or unreflected and duplicated). Lip colour ivory or white. Wing-shaped projection at columellar margin absent, present and not pronounced, or present and pronounced (sub-group I: present and not pronounced, present and pronounced, or absent; sub-group II: absent, or present and not pronounced). Peripheral band usually dark brown (sub-group I: dark brown; sub-group II: usually dark brown). Colour pattern generally variable. Typical elements of pattern above position of peripheral band: zig-zag stripes and flames in different shades of brown or in white (sub-group I: zig-zag stripes and flames in different shades of brown; sub-group II: zig-zag stripes and flames in different shades of brown or in white). Typical elements of pattern below position of peripheral band: spiral lines, spiral bands, zig-zag stripes and transverse lines in different shades of brown or in white (sub-group I: spiral lines, spiral bands and transverse lines in darker shades of brown; sub-group II: zig-zag stripes, spiral bands and spiral lines in different shades of brown or in white).

Displayed specimens. VNM063 ( Fig 8a View Fig 8 ; sub-group I), specimen in ethanol; NHMUK 20140597 (ethanol-preserved frozen tissue sample NHMUK Barcode 014041340); GenBank accession numbers MN153334 (COI), MN153383 (16S), MN153430 (28S); female individual; shell height 27.6 mm, shell breadth 31.0 mm, number of whorls 5.25. VNM059 ( Fig 8b View Fig 8 ; sub-group I), specimen in ethanol; NHMUK 20140557/2; GenBank accession numbers MN153330 (COI), MN153379 (16S), MN153426 (28S); male individual; shell height 28.2 mm, shell breadth 31.1 mm, number of whorls 5.25. VNM061 ( Fig 8c View Fig 8 ; sub-group I), specimen in ethanol; NHMUK 20140585/1 (ethanol-preserved frozen tissue sample NHMUK Barcode 014041339); GenBank accession numbers MN153332 (COI), MN153381 (16S), MN153428 (28S); female individual; shell height 28.4 mm, shell breadth 31.5 mm, number of whorls 5.25. VNM065 ( Fig 8d View Fig 8 ; sub-group II), specimen in ethanol; NHMUK 20110594 (ethanol-preserved frozen tissue samples NHMUK Barcode 014041334, NHMUK Barcode 014041351); GenBank accession numbers MN153336 (COI), MN153385 (16S), MN153432 (28S); sex of individual not determined (parts of soft body damaged); shell height 24.7 mm, shell breadth 26.8 mm, number of whorls 5.25.

Locality and sampling data. VNM063: Vietnam, Lang Son, Yen Thinh commune (21.61862˚, 106.34760˚); 19 September 2013; leg. Jonathan Ablett, Hao Van Luong, Fred Naggs & Sang Van Pham. VNM059: Vietnam, Lang Son, Huu Lien commune, Huu Lien Nature Reserve (21.66235˚–21.65998˚, 106.36633˚–106.36462˚); 17 September 2013; leg. Jonathan Ablett, Hao Van Luong, Fred Naggs & Sang Van Pham. VNM061: Vietnam, Lang Son, Yen Thinh commune (21.65948˚, 106.36535˚); 18 September 2013; leg. Jonathan Ablett, Hao Van Luong, Fred Naggs & Sang Van Pham. VNM065: Vietnam, Lang Son, Trung Quan commune (22.13137˚, 106.58715˚); 23 May 2011; leg. Hao Van Luong, Fred Naggs & Sang Van Pham.

Diagnosis. Cyclophorus subfloridus can be differentiated from all herein characterised Cyclophorus species based on DNA sequence data. Diagnostic nucleotide substitutions of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene: 217:A (number indicates the position in the studied COI fragment).

Remarks. This species was originally described as Cyclophorus fulguratus var. subflorida . Despite extensive effort, we were unable to locate type material of this species (see also [ 107]). Our determination was thus based on the description and figure in Ancey [ 92]. The description and the depicted shell matched sub-group I in size, shape and colouration. The material of C. fulguratus studied in Ancey [ 92], which includes the therein newly described C. fulguratus var. subflorida (a specific type locality for this taxon is not given), is “from Lang Son to Bac Ninh” (original: “De Lang-son a Bac-Ninh”), and our studied samples of sub-group I were collected from localities in this area. We regard Cyclophorus fulguratus var. barniana Ancey, 1888 [ 92] as a synonym of this species given that the type material of both taxa was presumably collected in the same region [ 92] and that the described morphological differences between them are insignificant (note that no type material of C. fulguratus var. barniana could be located; see also [ 107]). Cyclophorus jourdyi var. longsonensis Morlet, 1891 [ 110] is regarded as a further synonym of C. subfloridus given that its type locality is “Lang Son” (original: “Long-son”) and that the studied type material (RBINS I.G.10591/MT.903, labelled as paratype, and MNHNIM-2000-34483 and MNHN-IM-2000-34484, both potential syntypes) resembled sub-group I of C. subfloridus in size, shape and colouration (only in MNHN-IM-2000-34483 the early whorls lacked a bluish colouration). We regard the material from northern Thailand, which has been determined as C. subfloridus by Nantarat et al. [ 47] (also included in the phylogenies of [ 6] and this study, herein THA025), as belonging to a different species. The studied material of C. subfloridus has been found in southwestern Lang Son province, partly in Huu Lien Nature Reserve, (sub-group I) and in northern Lang Son province (sub-group II) ( Fig 4 View Fig 4 ). Another herein characterised species, C. courbeti (sub-group I), occurs sympatrically with C. subfloridus (sub-group II) in northern Lang Son province. The shell shape of C. courbeti is generally more compressed than that of C. subfloridus ( Fig 2 View Fig 2 ). The shell of C. courbeti sub-group I is larger than that of C. subfloridus sub-group II ( Fig 3b View Fig 3 ) and the early whorls lack a bluish colouration, while those of C. subfloridus sub-group II show a bluish colouration. The lip of C. courbeti sub-group I tends to have a more yellowish or reddish colour than that of C. subfloridus sub-group II, which tends to be more whitish. Furthermore, C. fasciatus (sub-group I) occurs in eastern Thai Nguyen province, approx. 20 km from where C. subfloridus (sub-group I) was found, in southwestern Lang Son province. The shell shape of C. fasciatus is generally slightly more compressed than that of C. subfloridus ( Fig 2 View Fig 2 ). The shell of C. fasciatus sub-group I is slightly larger than that of C. subfloridus sub-group I ( Fig 3b View Fig 3 ) and the early whorls usually lack a bluish colouration, while those of C. subfloridus sub-group I show a bluish colouration. The lip of C. fasciatus sub-group I tends to have a more yellowish or reddish colour than that of C. subfloridus sub-group I, which tends to be more whitish.