Rediscovery and re-description of Rhaphaulus assamicus Godwin-Austen, 1886, an endemic pupinid land snail from India (Gastropoda: Pupinidae)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Indian land snails comprise about 1130 species that are distributed throughout the Indian landscape in diverse habitats. However, most of the Indian land snail species have only been recorded from their type locality, with a minimal description, and have not been reported thereafter. In this paper, the endemic pupinid land snail Rhaphaulus assamicus Godwin-Austen, 1886 has been re-described for the first time since it was reported 132 years ago. This species was known previously from the original type locality in Brahmakund, Arunachal Pradesh, in the Eastern Himalaya of India, and the present report from Namdapha National Park supports the occurrence of the species in a similar landscape. We provide a re-description of the shell of this species based on high-resolution photomicrographs and discuss possible habitat requirements. Abbreviations: asl: above sea level; Coll.: collector; NNP: Namdapha National Park; NZSI: National Zoological Collection of the Zoological Survey of India; Reg. No.: registration number; ZSI: Zoological Survey of India.