Bensonella montawa Gojšina, Hunyadi & Páll-Gergely, 2025

Bensonella montawa Gojšina, Hunyadi & Páll-Gergely sp. nov.

Figs 39 N View Figure 39 , 68 View Figure 68 , 95 View Figure 95

Type material.

Holotype. Myanmar • 1 shell (SH: 1.8 mm, SW: 1.5 mm); Shan State, west-southwest from Taunggyi, Montawa cave ; 20°45.282'N, 97°1.057'E; 1260 m a. s. l.; 05 Oct. 2018; A. Hunyadi, K. Okubo & J. U. Otani leg.; CUMZ 14471 View Materials GoogleMaps . Paratypes. Myanmar • 30 shells; same data as for holotype; coll. HA GoogleMaps .

Type locality.

Myanmar, Shan State, west-southwest from Taunggyi, Montawa cave; 20°45.282'N, 97°1.057'E; 1260 m a. s. l.

Diagnosis.

A Bensonella species with conical, pale yellowish shell. Aperture equipped with numerous barriers, all of which are in form of sharp hooks pointing outside. Parietal lamella with a blunt but long projection in front of the hook, almost reaching the expanding peristome. Umbilicus narrow, dot-like.

Description.

Shell pale yellowish, triangular, conical ovoid, whorls 4–4.5, convex, rounded, rather regularly increasing. Protoconch consisting of ~ 1.25 whorls, showing spiralling pattern but with no clear spiral striae. Teleoconch with pasty surface, not spirally striated but with coarsely spaced, irregular radial growth lines. Last whorl adnate to the penultimate and slightly ascending near the aperture (~ 15–20 ° compared to the shell axis) making the aperture profile opisthocline to the shell axis. Peristome strongly expanded, not reflected. Aperture equipped with numerous barriers, all of which are in form of sharp hooks pointing outside the aperture. All barriers have low, slender projections situated in front of the hooks. A blunt, knob-like palatal tubercle sits anterior to the upper palatal plica on the peristome edge. Parietal lamella in form of a strong hook. A blunt, outer part of the parietal lamella is in form of a low, narrow, and blunt projection (situated in front of the hooked part) almost reaching the peristome edge. Angular lamella strong, consisting of inner and outer part separated by a strong sinuation. Inner part smaller, hooked, pointing towards the outer part which is larger but blunt. There are four weak barriers inside the sinulus. Upper palatal plica ~ 2 × weaker than the parietal and situated slightly above the palatal tubercle. First interpalatal plica as strong as the upper palatal, situated slightly below the palatal tubercle. Second interpalatal plica slightly weaker than the first. Lower palatal plica as strong as the first interpalatal and upper palatal. Infrapalatal plica small, as strong as the basal and subcolumellar. These three plicae are roughly equidistant. Above the subcolumellar, there is a clearly stronger columellar (similar in strength to the lower palatal plica) and one slightly stronger supracolumellar. Infraparietal lamella ~ 1 / 3 weaker than the parietal, with a similar (but shorter) projection in front of the hooked part. There are also some barrier-like swellings, although they never develop into a proper barrier. They can be e. g., between the upper palatal and first interpalatal plica, between the columellar and supracolumellar lamellae, between the supracolumellar and infraparietal lamellae, between the infraparietal and parietal lamellae. Surface of all apertural barriers is smooth. Sinulus parabolic, well separated from the rest of the aperture. Umbilicus very narrow, dot-like.

Differential diagnosis.

This species is very similar to B. hooki and B. lakainguta . Bensonella hooki is however more ovoid, reddish-brown, and does not have a slender projection in front of the parietal lamella. The latter also distinguishes the new species from B. lakainguta , which is also more triangular (i. e., pointed). See also under B. multihami .

Measurements

(in mm, n = 3). SH = 1.8; SW = 1.4–1.6; AH = 0.69–0.77; AW = 0.74–0.79.

Etymology.

This species is named after its type locality, the Montawa Cave. The specific epithet is to be used as a noun in apposition.

Distribution.

This species is only known from the type locality.