Zilchogyra franzi Weyrauch, 1965 (Gastropoda: Charopidae), a minute landsnail

DELHEY VALDEMAR K.; PIZÁ JULIA; BURELA SILVANA

ZOOTAXA

MAGNOLIA PRESS

Año: 2010 vol. 2450 p. 61 - 64

1175-5326

The charopid Zilchogyra franzi was known so far solely by the holotype. We report on new records, describe the habitat and add information on conchological data of this species on the basis of 32 collected specimens from the type locality, Sierra de la Ventana (Argentina), a mountain range in the southern Pampas. The snails were associated to humid microhabitats, in hollows and caves at the base of crags and wall rocks. Conchological features of our material are fully compatible with the original description. However, major shell diameter ranged from 2.6 to 5.4 mm; i.e., most of the studied shells were larger than the holotype (3.7 mm), which probably was a juvenile. Given its restricted microhabitat, and the few records obtained from our intensive searches, Z. franzi seems to be a rare species.