SciELO - Scientific Electronic Library Online

 
vol.87 número4Endohelmintos de algunos peces del lago de Xochimilco, MéxicoPseudoescorpiones (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones) foréticos con Chalcolepidius approximatus (Coleoptera: Elateridae) índice de autoresíndice de materiabúsqueda de artículos
Home Pagelista alfabética de revistas  

Servicios Personalizados

Revista

Articulo

Indicadores

Links relacionados

  • No hay artículos similaresSimilares en SciELO

Compartir


Revista mexicana de biodiversidad

versión On-line ISSN 2007-8706versión impresa ISSN 1870-3453

Rev. Mex. Biodiv. vol.87 no.4 México dic. 2016

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmb.2016.10.002 

Notas científicas

On some land snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of Los Molles, central Chile

Sobre algunos moluscos terrestres (Mollusca: Gastropoda) de Los Molles, Chile central

Juan Francisco Arayaa  b  * 

a Departamento de Geología, Universidad de Atacama, Copayapu 485, Copiapó, Chile

b Programa de Doctorado en Sistemática y Biodiversidad, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile


Abstract:

Among the terrestrial invertebrates, the molluscan species of central and northern Chile have been scarcely studied and here, for the first time, a record of the diversity of land snail species of Los Molles (32°14' S, 71°31' W), in the Valparaíso region, central Chile is reported. Four species were found: Chiliborus rosaceus (King & Broderip, 1831); Lilloiconcha lopezi Araya & Aliaga, 2015; Plectostylus chilensis (Lesson, 1830), and Plectostylus reflexus (Pfeiffer, 1842); all of them are ground dwelling snails, endemic, occurring in small geographical ranges or in fragmented populations along northern and central Chile; L. lopezi is an endemic species to Los Molles. The geographic distribution records of P. chilensis and P. reflexus are also extended and illustrations of the species and distribution records are presented. The areas around Los Molles harbor a comparatively high diversity of plants and invertebrates, and they should be considered in future conservation efforts.

Keywords: Stylommatophora; Bothriembryontidae; Charopidae; Strophocheilidae

Resumen:

Entre los invertebrados terrestres, las especies de moluscos del centro y norte de Chile han sido escasamente estudiadas y en este trabajo, por primera vez, se reporta un registro sobre la diversidad de caracoles terrestres de Los Molles (32°14' S, 71°31' W), región de Valparaíso, Chile central. Se registraron 4 especies: Chiliborus rosaceus (King y Broderip, 1831); Lilloiconcha lopezi Araya y Aliaga, 2015; Plectostylus chilensis (Lesson, 1830), y Plectostylus reflexus (Pfeiffer, 1842); todos ellos son caracoles endémicos que viven en el suelo, usualmente bajo hojarasca y que se presentan en rangos geográficos pequeños o en poblaciones fragmentadas a lo largo de Chile central y septentrional; Lilloiconcha lopezi, en particular, es una especie endémica de Los Molles. Se extiende la distribución geográfica de Plectostylus chilensis y Plectostylus reflexus, y además, se presentan ilustraciones de las especies y distribuciones conocidas. Las áreas alrededor de Los Molles albergan una biodiversidad de plantas e invertebrados comparativamente alta y deben ser consideradas en futuros esfuerzos de conservación.

Palabras clave: Stylommatophora; Bothriembryontidae; Charopidae; Strophocheilidae

A great majority of the indigenous terrestrial mollusks found in Chile are distributed from central to southern Chile, and particularly in the Juan Fernández Archipelago (Miquel & Araya, 2015), with sparse records of species distributed in the more arid northern latitudes in the country (Araya & Aliaga, 2015; Araya, Madrid, & Breure, 2016; Miquel & Araya, 2013; Miquel & Ramírez, 2011; Valdovinos & Stuardo, 1989). Most of the species found in the northern areas of Chile (north of 32° S latitude) are known only from their respective original descriptions, chiefly from classical works (d’Orbigny, 1847; Gay, 1854; Hupé, 1854; King & Broderip, 1832; Pfeiffer, 1842; Philippi, 1860; Pilsbry, 1897, 1902) or by a few subsequent studies in the matter, reviewing certain genera or groups of species (Araya, 2015b; Gigoux, 1932; Rehder, 1945; Stuardo & Vargas-Almonacid, 2000; Valdovinos & Stuardo, 1988). Excluding bulimulids, whose research is currently under study, 19 indigenous species of terrestrial mollusks are known from central to northern Chile; they belong to 7 families and 10 genera, with a single genus endemic to the Chilean territories (Araya & Catalán, 2014). Non-indigenous mollusks in the area include 8 species, most of which are found in limited urban areas in the country (Araya, 2015a).

The present study describes the diversity and distribution of land snails found around Los Molles, Valparaíso region, central Chile. Due to the rapid urban development, fast action for terrestrial invertebrate conservation of this coastal area is required. This is particularly urgent considering that further undescribed species, particularly micromollusks, may be living along the Chilean coastal areas and that most of the terrestrial snail species in Chile are not protected by law. Abbreviations used in the text are: MPCCL, Museo Paleontológico de Caldera, Caldera, Chile; SBMNH, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, USA; spm, specimen; sppm, specimens.

Superfamily Acavoidea Pilsbry, 1895

Family Strophocheilidae Pilsbry, 1902

Genus Chiliborus Pilsbry, 1926

Type species: Strophocheilus chilensis G. B. Sowerby I, 1833.

Chiliborus rosaceus (King & Broderip, 1831)

(Figs. 1 and 2)

Figures 1-12 Shells of terrestrial molluscs of Los Molles, central Chile. 1-2 Chiliborus rosaceus, detail of last whorl and aperture (1) and detail of protoconch (specimen from Pichidangui) (2); 3-6 Plectostylus chilensis, detail of protoconch (3), apertural view (4), abapertural view (5) and detail of sculpture (6); 7-10 Plectostylus reflexus, apertural view (7), abapertural view (8), detail of sculpture and suture (9) and the species in situ (10), living among the bromeliad Puya chilensis; 11-12 Lilloiconcha lopezi apical view (11) and apertural view (12). 

Material examined: estero Los Molles (32°14' S, 71°29' W) (2 sppm) and Pichidangui, Valparaíso region, central Chile (4 sppm); Copiapó, Region of Atacama, northern Chile (1 spm). MPCCL 100216A.

Description : Bequaert (1948: 178)

Distribution : From Copiapó (27°21' S, 70°20' W) to Chiloé Island (42° S, 73° W), living in coastal areas and in the Chilean Coast Range (Araya & Catalán, 2014).

Remarks: Shell fragments (shells without apex and first whorls; Fig. 1) were found under dead leaves and humus, mostly under the ubiquitous, and non-indigenous, Eucalyptus trees. Neither live nor complete shell specimens were found during this survey, although the great number of empty shells and fragments may indicate established communities of this species in the area under study. The damage to the shells, mostly in the first whorls, may also hint of predation by birds (Rosin, Olborska, Surmacki, & Tryjanowski, 2011).

Superfamily Orthalicoidea Martens in Albers, 1860

Family Bothriembryontidae Iredale, 1937

Genus Plectostylus Beck, 1837

Type species: Bulimus peruvianus Bruguière, 1789.

Plectostylus chilensis (Lesson, 1830)

(Figs. 3,4,5,6)

Material examined: estero Los Molles (32°14' S, 71°29' W) (4 sppm) and Pichidangui, Valparaíso region, central Chile (16 sppm). MPCCL 100216B

Description : Valdovinos & Stuardo (1988: 123)

Distribution : The previous distribution of this species ranges from Valparaíso (33°02' S, 71°38' W) to Concepción (36°50' S, 73°03' W) according to Valdovinos and Stuardo (1988). The specimens examined in this study constitute the northernmost record of this species.

Remarks: Empty shells of this species were found under dry leaves and under rock slabs, often buried.

Plectostylus reflexus (Pfeiffer, 1842)

(Figs. 7,8,9,10)

Material examined: estero Los Molles (32°14' S, 71°29' W) (6 sppm) and Parque Los Molles (32°14' S, 71°31' W), Región de Valparaíso, central Chile (4 sppm). MPCCL 100216C.

Description : Valdovinos and Stuardo (1988: 137).

Distribution: according to Valdovinos and Stuardo (1988) this species has been found from Coquimbo (29°58' S, 71°21' W) to Pichidangui (32°08' S, 71°30' W). The specimens studied here constitute the southernmost record of this species.

Remarks: all the specimens found in this study were collected exclusively on leaves of the large, spiny and endemic bromeliad Puya chilensis (Molina, 1782) (Fig. 10), which in turn is not a common plant; having a restricted distribution along the Chilean coastal territories (Zizka, Schneider, Schulte, & Novoa, 2013). Plectostylus reflexus is a very uncommon snail, and it should be considered an endangered species, taking into account the loss of natural areas and its close relationship with P. chilensis.

Superfamily Punctoidea Morse, 1864

Family Charopidae Hutton, 1884

Genus Lilloiconcha Weyrauch, 1965

Type species: Austrodiscus tucumanus Hylton Scott, 1963.

Lilloiconcha lopezi Araya & Aliaga, 2015

(Figs. 11 and 12)

Material examined: Parque Los Molles (32°14' S, 71°31' W), Commune of La Ligua, Valparaíso region, central Chile (4 sppm). SBMNH 456358, 452239, MPCCL 01572015.

Description: Araya and Aliaga (2015: 12)

Distribution: Los Molles (32°14' S, 71°31' W, 31 m), Commune of La Ligua, Valparaíso region, central Chile.

Remarks: this recently described species is the smallest gastropod found in the area, and 1 of the only 4 charopid species living in central or northern Chile (the others are Austrodiscus solemi Valdovinos & Stuardo, 1989; Radiodiscus quillajicola Vargas-Almonacid, 2000 and Stephacharopa calderaensis Miquel & Araya, 2013).

Among the native species found in the area under study, the genera Chiliborus and Plectostylus have the largest geographical distributions in the country, with species found in a great variety of habitats, from the rain forests of the Región de Aysén to the arid Desert of Atacama in the northern part of the country. Chiliborus is a genus endemic to Chile, with 4 ground-dwelling species living in low altitude coastal areas, mostly in the northern and central areas of the country; while Plectostylus have arboreal and ground-dwelling species, found from coastal desert localities (P. broderipii) to the deep forests of southern Chile (P. araucanus); with a single species also present in Argentina (Miquel, 1998). The genus Lilloiconcha is the genus with the most widespread distribution, occurring from coastal to Andean areas in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Paraguay and Perú (Cunha, Salvador, & Simone, 2015; Hausdorf, 2005; Miquel & Barker, 2009). Surprisingly, non-indigenous molluscan species were absent in the area of Los Molles, even when several species have been recorded from central Chile, most of them limacoid slugs (Araya, 2015a).

Scientific records are the basis for future legal protection; knowledge on the biodiversity on specific areas or regarding the geographical distributions of indigenous species establishes the basis for conservation studies. This is particularly important considering the heavy urban development on the coastal areas of central Chile, and in this particular case around Los Molles. Urbanization is, among the many human activities that cause habitat loss, the one which produces the greatest local extinction rates; frequently eliminating a large majority of native species (McKinney, 2002) and in particular terrestrial mollusks, which are the group of organisms most prone to extinction (Régnier, Fontaine, & Bouchet, 2009). The records reported in this work are especially important taking into account the scarceness of scientific research on terrestrial invertebrates in the country.

I am thankful to Daniel Geiger (Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, California, USA) for his help with the images of Lilloiconcha lopezi, to John Wolff (Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA) for checking the English of an early version of the manuscript and to the anonymous reviewers and editor for their valuable comments and suggestions, which greatly improved this work.

References

Araya, 2015a Araya J.F. Current status of the non-indigenous molluscs in Chile, with the first record of Otala punctata (Müller, 1774) (Gastropoda, Helicidae) in the country and new records for Cornu aspersum (Müller, 1774) and Deroceras laeve (Müller, 1774). Journal of Natural History. 2015; 49:1731-61 [ Links ]

Araya, 2015b Araya J.F. The Bulimulidae (Mollusca: Pulmonata) from the Región de Atacama, northern Chile. PeerJ. 2015; 3:e1383 [ Links ]

Araya and Aliaga, 2015 Araya J.F, Aliaga J.A. A new species of Lilloiconcha Weyrauch, 1965 (Pulmonata: Charopidae) from central Chile. Zootaxa. 2015; 4007:295-7 [ Links ]

Araya and Catalán, 2014 Araya J.F, Catalán R. A review of the non-bulimulid terrestrial Mollusca from the Region of Atacama, northern Chile. ZooKeys. 2014; 398:33-51 [ Links ]

Araya et al., 2016 Araya J.F, Madrid M, Breure A.S.H. Bostryx hennahi (Gray, 1828) the largest Chilean bulimulid (Mollusca: Pulmonata), rediscovered among Tillandsia communities in northern Chile. Journal of Conchology. 2016; 42:1-5 [ Links ]

Bequaert, 1948 Bequaert J.C. Monography of the Strophocheilidae, a neotropical family of terrestrial mollusks. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology. 1948; 100:1-210 [ Links ]

Cunha et al., 2015 Cunha C.M, Salvador R.B, Simone L.R.L. The terrestrial microgastropods of Trindade Island, Brazil. Spixiana. 2015; 38:139-43 [ Links ]

d’Orbigny, 1847 d’Orbigny, A. (1847). Voyage dans l’Amérique mériodionale (le Brésil, la république orientale de l’Uruguay, la république Argentine, la Patagonie, la république du Chile, la république de Bolivia, la république du Pérou), exécuté pendant les années 1826, 1827, 1828, 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832, et 1833. Tome 5, Partie 3, Mollusques. P. Bertrand, Paris/V. Levrault, Strasbourg. [ Links ]

Gay, 1854 Gay C. Atlas de la historia física y política de Chile. París: Imprenta de E. Thunot y Ca. Segundo Tomo; 1854. [ Links ]

Gigoux, 1932 Gigoux E. Sobre algunos caracoles terrestres de Atacama. Revista Chilena de Historia Natural. 1932; 36:20-5 [ Links ]

Hausdorf, 2005 Hausdorf B. The genus Lilloiconcha in Colombia (Gastropoda: Charopidae). Journal of Natural History. 2005; 39:2795-808 [ Links ]

King and Broderip, 1832 King P.P, Broderip W.J. Description of the Cirrhipeda, Conchifera and Mollusca, in a collection formed by the officers of H.M.S. Adventure and Beagle employed between the years 1826 and 1830 in surveying the southern coasts of South America. Zoological Journal. 1832; 5:332-49 [ Links ]

Hupé, 1854 Hupé L. Moluscos. In Gay. Historia física y política de Chile. Zoología. 1854; 8:1-500 Atlas II, pl. 1-14, Paris [ Links ]

McKinney, 2002 McKinney M.L. Urbanization, biodiversity, and conservation. The impacts of urbanization on native species are poorly studied, but educating a highly urbanized human population about these impacts can greatly improve species conservation in all ecosystems. Bioscience. 2002; 52:883-90 [ Links ]

Miquel, 1998 Miquel S.E. Redescription of Argentinean species of the genera Discoleus, Plectostylus, Scutalus and Simpulopsis (Gastropoda, Stylommatophora, Bulimulidae). Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment. 1998; 33:178-87 [ Links ]

Miquel and Araya, 2013 Miquel S.E, Araya J.F. A new Charopidae from Chile and Argentina, Stephacharopa calderaensis n. gen. and n. sp., with remarks on the taxonomy of the genus Stephadiscus Hylton Scott 1981 (Mollusca: Gastropoda Pulmonata). Archiv für Molluskenkunde. 2013; 142:227-35 [ Links ]

Miquel and Araya, 2015 Miquel S.E, Araya J.F. New records of terrestrial mollusks of the Juan Fernández Archipelago (Chile), with the description of a new genus and species of Charopidae (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora). Archiv für Molluskenkunde. 2015; 144:155-67 [ Links ]

Miquel and Barker, 2009 Miquel S.E, Barker G.M. New Charopidae from Chilean-Argentine Patagonia (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Stylommatophora). Archiv für Molluskenkunde. 2009; 138:53-61 [ Links ]

Miquel and Ramírez, 2011 Miquel S.E, Ramírez R. First records of actual and fossil Stephadiscus outside Patagonia, and description of a new amazonian species (Mollusca: Pulmonata: Charopidae). Archiv für Molluskenkunde. 2011; 140:49-56 [ Links ]

Pfeiffer, 1842 Pfeiffer L. Symbolae ad historiam heliceorum, II. Helicea collectionis Pfeifferianae. Cassellis: (Th. Fischer); 1842. [ Links ]

Philippi, 1860 Philippi R.A. Viaje al desierto de Atacama, hecho de orden del Gobierno de Chile en el verano 1853-54. Halle en Sajonia; 1860. [ Links ]

Pilsbry, 1897 Pilsbry H.A. Manual of conchology: American Bulimulidae: Bulimulus, Neopetraeus, Oxychona and South American Drymaeus. Vol. 11. Second Series: Pulmonata. Conchological Section: Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia; 1897. [ Links ]

Pilsbry, 1902 Pilsbry H.A. Manual of conchology: classification of Bulimulidae and index to volumes X, XI, XII, XIII and XIV. Vol. 14. Second Series: Pulmonata. Conchological Section: Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia; 1902. [ Links ]

Régnier et al., 2009 Régnier C, Fontaine B, Bouchet P. Not knowing, not recording, not listing: numerous unnoticed mollusk extinctions. Conservation Biology. 2009; 23:1214-21 [ Links ]

Rehder, 1945 Rehder H.A. The Chilean species of the molluscan genus Peronaeus (Bulimulidae). Revista Chilena de Historia Natural. 1945; 48:102-7 [ Links ]

Rosin et al., 2011 Rosin Z.M, Olborska P, Surmacki A, Tryjanowski P. Differences in predatory pressure on terrestrial snails by birds and mammals. Journal of Biosciences. 2011; 36:691-9 [ Links ]

Stuardo and Vargas-Almonacid, 2000 Stuardo J.R, Vargas-Almonacid P. Moluscos terrestres de Chile. Sinonimia y problemas relacionados: 1. Familias Veronicellidae, Pupillidae y Achatinellidae (Gastropoda: Pulmonata). Gayana. 2000; 64:171-88 [ Links ]

Valdovinos and Stuardo, 1988 Valdovinos C, Stuardo J.R. Morfología, sistemática y distribución del género Plectostylus Beck 1837 (Pulmonata: Bulimulidae). Gayana. 1988; 52:115-95 [ Links ]

Valdovinos and Stuardo, 1989 Valdovinos C, Stuardo J.R. Austrodiscus (Zilchogyra) solemi spec. nov. Nuevo gastrópodo humícola de Chile. Boletín de la Sociedad de Biología de Concepción Chile. 1989; 60:239-45 [ Links ]

Zizka et al., 2013 Zizka G, Schneider J.V, Schulte K, Novoa P. Taxonomic revision of the Chilean Puya species (Puyoideae, Bromeliaceae), with special notes on the Puya alpestris-Puya berteroniana species complex. Brittonia. 2013; 65:387-407 [ Links ]

** Peer Review under the responsibility of Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

Received: January 28, 2016; Accepted: May 31, 2016

E-mail address: jfaraya@u.uchile.cl.

Creative Commons License This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License