A revision of the Australian taxa previously attributed to Assiminea buccinoides (Quoy & Gaimard) and Assiminea tasmanica Tenison-Woods (Mollusca : Gastropoda : Caenogastropoda : Assimineidae)

Hiroshi Fukuda; Winston F. Ponder

doi:10.1071/IS04009

RESEARCH ARTICLE

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A revision of the Australian taxa previously attributed to Assiminea buccinoides (Quoy & Gaimard) and Assiminea tasmanica Tenison-Woods (Mollusca : Gastropoda : Caenogastropoda : Assimineidae)

Hiroshi Fukuda ^A ^B ^C and Winston F. Ponder ^B ^C

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Conservation of Aquatic Biodiversity, Faculty of Agriculture, Okayama University, Tsushima-naka 1-1-1, Okayama 700-8530, Japan.

^B Australian Museum, 6 College Street, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia.

^C Corresponding author. Email: winstonp@austmus.gov.au

Invertebrate Systematics 19(4) 325-360 https://doi.org/10.1071/IS04009
Submitted: 24 March 2004 Accepted: 20 June 2005 Published: 30 September 2005

Abstract

A new genus, Cryptassiminea, is introduced for the taxon previously known as Assiminea buccinoides (Quoy & Gaimard). These small gastropods are abundant in mangrove and salt marsh habitats in south-eastern and subtropical eastern Australia. Seven species (five new) are recognised using morphological characters in the complex previously treated as a single species. Five taxa have rather narrow ranges while the other two are widespread and often sympatric. Two groups of species are recognised. One contains Cryptassiminea buccinoides, widespread in south-east and east Australia, and two closely related allopatric taxa from South Australia and south-eastern Tasmania (C. adelaidensis, sp. nov. and C. kershawi, sp. nov.). A second group of species is typified by Cryptassiminea tasmanica (Tenison-Woods), also widespread in east and south-east Australia and often sympatric with C. buccinoides. Allied to C. tasmanica, are two closely related taxa from western Victoria: C. glenelgensis, sp. nov. from the Glenelg River estuary and C. surryensis, sp. nov. from the Surry River estuary and Western Port, in the vicinity of Geelong. A distinctive species, Cryptassiminea insolata, sp. nov. from the east coast of Queensland, also has similarities with C. tasmanica. A cladistic analysis using morphological characters of the Cryptassiminea taxa and three other genera of Assimininae, with an omphalotropidine as the outgroup, resulted in a single tree. The new genus has rather poor support, possibly because many of its characters appear to be plesiomorphic within Assimineinae. Cryptassiminea is defined by a unique combination of characters but lacks any obvious synapomorphy. Two clades within Cryptassiminea are well supported, each containing the species-groups referred to above.

Acknowledgments

We thank Yong Yi Zhen and Joshua Studdert for SEM work; Alison Miller and Holly Barlow for databasing and Michael Shea for artwork. Alison Miller prepared the distribution maps and Joshua Studdert prepared the other figures. We also thank Joshua Studdert and many others for assistance with field work. We also thank two anonymous reviewers and Alison Miller for their useful comments on the manuscript.

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Appendix 1. List of characters used in analysis

The following characters were used in the cladistic analysis. Uninformative characters have a consistency index (CI) of 1.00 and are indicated by a U in parentheses after the character name. Informative characters have the CI given in parentheses after the character name.

Shell

(1) Teleoconch sculpture (0.50): (1) smooth; (2) spiral threads.

(2) Spiral cords (0.50): (1) spiral threads; (2) strong cords.

(3) Number of spirals at commencement of teleoconch (0.67): (1) indistinct; (2) ~12; (3) 7–8.

(4) Shape (0.50): (1) conical; (2) ovate conic; (3) ovate.

(5) Protoconch I (U): (1) smooth; (2) sculptured with wrinkles; (3) sculptured with 'pits'.

(6) Protoconch II (1.00): (1) spiral ridges; (2) smooth.

(7) Umbilicus (1.00): (1) absent; (2) narrow; (3) moderate.

(8) Periphery (1.00): (1) rounded; (2) subangled to angled.

(9) Colour (1.00): (1) uniform; (2) with one band; (3) with two or three bands.

(10) Width of colour bands (0.50): (1) narrow; (2) wide.

(11) Transparency (0.50): (1) semitransparent; (2) opaque.

Operculum

(12) White smear on muscle scar (U): (1) absent; (2) present.

(13) Peg on inner surface (0.50): (1) absent; (2) present.

Pallial cavity and head–foot

(14) Osphradium (U): (1) short, oval; (2) elongate, narrow undulating ridge.

(15) Hypobranchial gland (U): (1) small; (2) absent;

(16) Number of ctenidial filaments (0.50): (1) 4–5; (2) 2–3.

(17) Cephalic tentacles (1.00): (1) moderately long; (2) only rudimentary right tentacle present; (3) absent.

Gut

(18) Salivary glands (U): (1) large and broad; (2) long and slender.

(19) Digestive gland (U): (1) two or three rows of lobules; (2) more than three rows of lobules.

(20) Rectum (U): (1) open S-shape; (2) tight S-shaped; (3) double S-shaped.

Radula

(21) Basal tongue on central tooth (U): (1) present; (2) absent.

(22) Basal tongue shape (U): (1) long, distinctly separated from rest of base; (2) long, not distinctly separated from rest of base; (3) short.

(23) Basal cusps on central teeth (0.67): (1) none; (2) typically two; (3) typically three.

(24) Thickening of outer marginal teeth (U): (1) on inner edge; (2) diagonally across lower half of tooth.

(25) Number of cusps on outer marginal teeth (U): (1) less than 10 in single series; (2) 10–15 in single series; (3) more than 15 in single series; (4) cusps in two series.

Male genital system

(26) Papillae along penis (U): (1) absent; (2) present.

(27) Flange on penis (1.00): (1) absent; (2) present.

(28) Shape of penis flange (U): (1) large and wide; (2) narrow.

(29) Longitudinal groove on penis (1.00): (1) absent; (2) present.

(30) Penial papilla (0.75): (1) absent; (2) terminal, simple; (3) subterminal, simple; (4) terminal, with accessory flange.

(31) Length of terminal, simple penial papilla (0.50): (1) short; (2) long.

(32) Position of penis on head (0.67): (1) right side; (2) near middle; (3) left side.

(33) Pallial vas deferens near prostrate (0.67): (1) coiled; (2) undulating; (3) straight.

Female genital system

(34) Ovary (U): (1) simple sac; (2) lobulate.

(35) Vestibule (0.50): (1) absent; (2) present.

(36) Vestibule length (U): (1) medium; (2) long.

(37) Vestibule pigmentation (0.50): (1) absent; (2) present.

(38) Entry of vestibule to capsule gland (1.00): (1) terminal; (2) subterminal.

(39) Capsule gland glandular zones (1.00): (1) one; (2) three.

(40) Length of posterior glandular zone (0.67): (1) wide; (2) medium; (3) narrow.

(41) Length and shape of capsule gland (U): (1) long, tapering throughout; (2) long, cylindrical, tapering rapidly anteriorly; (3) very short.

(42) Albumen gland size relative to capsule gland (0.75): (1) less than one third; (2) about a third; (3) about half; (4) about same length; (5) much longer.

(43) Bursa copulatrix width relative to albumen gland (0.75): (1) narrower; (2) about same width; (3) slightly wider; (4) much wider.

(44) Bursa copulatrix length relative to length of capsule gland + albumen gland (0.67): (1) less than third; (2) more than one-third; (3) more than half.

(45) Colour of bursal contents (0.50): (1) reddish-brown; (2) colourless.

(46) Bursa copulatrix shape (0.67): (1) short triangular; (2) elongate triangular; (3) horizontally elongate (oval).

(47) Bursal duct (0.80): (1) straight; (2) curved; (3) with weak Z-shaped bend; (4) with open strong Z-shaped fold; (5) with closed arch.

(48) Width of bursal duct at bursa (0.50): (1) same width throughout; (2) markedly wider near bursa.

(49) Position of entry of bursal duct to bursa copulatrix (0.67): (1) mid anterior; (2) ventral anterior; (3) mid ventral.

(50) Seminal receptacle colour (1.00): (1) black or brown; (2) colourless.

(51) Number of seminal receptacles (U): (1) one; (2) several.

(52) Seminal receptacle shape (U): (1) elongate; (2) oval.

(53) Duct of seminal receptacle (0.50): (1) short; (2) long.

(54) Oviduct/bursal duct entry point (U): (1) left ventro-posterior albumen gland; (2) left middle part of capsule gland about half way along; (3) left middle posterior part of capsule gland; (4) left ventral about half way along capsule gland; (5) right median posterior albumen gland.

(55) Length of oviduct anterior to the seminal receptacle (OASR) (0.60): (1) very short to absent; (2) short; (3) medium; (4) long.

(56) OASR shape (1.00): (1) straight; (2) bent; (3) swollen.

(57) Coiled oviduct colour (0.50): (1) unpigmented; (2) pigmented (brown).

(58) Sperm/egg channel in capsule gland (0.60): (1) ventral and surrounded by gland; (2) subventral and surrounded by gland; (3) medial and surrounded by gland; (4) subventral and partly external.

Nervous system

(59) Suboesophageal ganglion (U): (1) abuts left pleural; (2) fused to left pleural.

(60) Supraoesophageal and pleural ganglia (U): (1) medium connective; (2) short connective; (3) fused; (4) abutting.

(61) Optic nerve (U): (1) parallel to tentacular nerve; (2) crosses tentacular nerve.