Skip to main navigation Skip to search Skip to main content

Cystopeltidae redefined: integrative taxonomy of the Australian endemic slug Cystopelta with the description of 11 new species and subspecies (Punctoidea: Stylommatophora)

  • Isabel Hyman
  • , Frank Köhler
  • Australian Museum

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Cystopeltidae currently comprise the Australian endemic slug genus Cystopelta, a group with just five species, and several snail species from Australia and South America recently placed in this group on the strength of molecular phylogenetics. We herein comprehensively revise the genus Cystopelta using comparative morpho-anatomy and phylogenetic analyses of mitochondrial (COI, 16S) and nuclear (ELAVI8) DNA and investigate the status of the snails recently assigned to Cystopeltidae with the addition of the nuclear marker ITS2. We demonstrate that the snails Scelidoropa, Diemenoropa, Lilloiconcha, and Zilchogyra are not cystopeltids but belong to Charopidae where they are the sister taxon to all other charopids. The Australian snail genera Ngairea, Hedleyoconcha, Setomedea, Lenwebbia, Mussonula, Excellaoma, Annoselix, Pasmaditta, and Planilaoma are formally placed in Cystopeltidae on the strength of molecular phylogenetics and their lack of a complete secondary ureter, which they share with Cystopelta. We redescribe the species Cystopelta petterdi, Cystopelta astra, Cystopelta bicolor, Cystopelta purpurea, and Cystopelta septentrionalis, and newly describe eight species and three subspecies: Cystopelta astra flava subsp. nov., Cystopelta barringtonia sp. nov., Cystopelta bassiana sp. nov.,  Cystopelta bassiana bassiana subsp. nov., Cystopelta bassiana cinerea subsp. nov., Cystopelta jimhymani sp. nov., Cystopelta nunniong sp. nov., Cystopelta pauperocochlea sp. nov., Cystopelta rafflesorum sp. nov., Cystopelta riparia sp. nov., and Cystopelta tallaganda sp. nov.

Original languageEnglish
Article numberzlag067
Number of pages49
JournalZoological Journal of the Linnean Society
Volume207
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2026

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Cystopeltidae redefined: integrative taxonomy of the Australian endemic slug Cystopelta with the description of 11 new species and subspecies (Punctoidea: Stylommatophora)'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this