Corresponding author: Rodrigo B. Salvador (
Academic editor: Matthias Glaubrecht
A sample of land and freshwater snails, mainly pulmonates, was recently collected in caves in Goiás and Bahia states, Brazil. Twenty-one species were found in the material. The following species are reported for the first time for Goiás state:
The Brazilian continental molluscan fauna is still poorly known and is deemed to have so many undescribed species as to triple the presently known number (
Some recent expeditions (April/2012–January/2013) by Dr. M. E. Bichuette (Universidade Federal de São Carlos; São Carlos, Brazil) and her team to cave systems in Goiás and Bahia states, central Brazil, recovered many land and freshwater snails. This whole material was deposited in the malacological collection of the Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo (
All the material studied here was collected by M. E. Bichuette and her team and deposited in the
Map showing the Brazilian states of Bahia and Goiás, with the cities where the caves are located (see also Table
List of all localities, i.e., the caves (or “grutas” in Portuguese), where the present material was collected, alongside their city/municipality, state, coordinates (see also Fig.
Locality | City | State | Coordinates | Collection date | Biome | Substrate | Water body |
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Gruta Cantinho | Igatu/Andaraí |
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01/Apr/2013 | Campos Rupestres | wet sand | yes |
Gruta do Catão | São Desidério |
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03/Nov/2012 | Cerrado/Caatinga | wet sand, clay | yes |
Gruta do Renatão | São Desidério |
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03/Nov/2012 | Cerrado/Caatinga | clay | no |
Gruta das Dores | Mambaí |
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30/Apr/2013 | Cerrado | clay | yes |
Gruta Fundo de Quintal | Mambaí |
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29/Oct/2012 | Cerrado | clay | yes |
Gruta Judite | Mambaí |
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01/May/2013 | Cerrado | clay | yes |
Gruta da Tarimba | Mambaí |
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28/Oct/2012, 29/Apr/2013 | Cerrado | clay | yes |
Gruta Pasto de Vacas I | Mambaí |
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02/May/2013 | Cerrado | clay | yes |
Gruta Revolucionários | Posse |
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30/Apr/2013, 03/May/2013 | Cerrado | clay | yes |
Identification was conducted based on the work of
List of all species found on the present material, with information on locality data, whether it is a new occurrence (species with new records are analyzed more thoroughly in the text) and record number of the
Species | Family | New record? | Cave(s) | Collection Nr. ( |
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Holotype:
BRAZIL, Goiás, Mambaí, Gruta Revolucionários (col. M.E. Bichuette, J.E. Gallão, D.M. Shimonsky, P.P. Rizzato, R. Borghezan; 29/iv/2013).
Known only from the type locality (Fig.
The name refers to Shar, a fictional goddess of darkness, caverns, and secrets, from the Faerûnian pantheon of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game.
Shell pupilloid-conical. Four apertural barriers: two lamellae and two teeth). Anguloparietal lamella shaped like narrow gutter, bent towards palatal region.
Shell minute (H < 2 mm), pupilloid-conical; greatest width of shell on body whorl (D/H = 0.6); body whorl ca. 1/2H; spire angle 48°. Whorl profile greatly convex; suture well-marked. Protoconch (ca. 1½ whorl) round, smooth; transition to teleoconch clearly marked by change to teleoconch sculpture. Teleoconch sculptured by strongly prosocline faint axial riblets. Aperture rounded to lightly quadrangular (d/h = 0.8; h/H = 0.4); peristome reflexed; parietal callus distinctive. Apertural barriers totaling four (Fig.
The minute pupilloid shell and the pattern of apertural barriers, especially the presence of an anguloparietal lamella (formed by the fusion of the angular and parietal lamellae), place the present specimens in
Likewise,
USA, Texas, Brownsville. Paralectotypes are from Mexico, San Luis Potosí, Valles Falls and Choy Cave.
From Florida, USA, to southern Brazil and northern Argentina, including the Caribbean islands (
Despite the species being known throughout the Americas, the present record fills a gap in the species distribution (see the revision of
Near Matanzas, Cuba.
From the Caribbean Islands to central-northern Argentina (
The present record is the first occurrence for Goiás and fills a gap in the species distribution in Central Brazil.
São Paulo, São Paulo state, Brazil.
Known only from its type locality (
The present record greatly expands this species distribution: ca. 720 km to the northwest.
Caracas, Venezuela.
Venezuela and Brazil (Pará, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte and Mato Grosso states) (
The present record fills a gap in the species’ previously known distribution in Brazil.
Camp 39 of Stanford expedition, Madeira-Mamoré railway ca. 284 km above Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil.
Known only from type locality.
There are two further possible records of this species from Peru and Bolívia (
Brazil (restricted to Rio de Janeiro by
Brazil: Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and Santa Catarina states (
The shell morphology of the present specimens compare very well to
Many records reported here are the first for either Goiás or Bahia states (Table
We are deeply grateful to Maria E. Bichuette (UFSCar) and her team for providing the material studied here and the information on the collection localities, and to Karin Wolf-Schwenninger (SMNS) for the SEM images. This work was partly supported by a doctorate grant from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq; Brazil) to R.B.S., proc. #245575/2012-0.