Release the confetti! A new genus and species of Indo-West Pacific bubble snails (Cephalaspidea: Haminoeidae)

Abstract

ABSTRACT The bubble snail family Haminoeidae has traditionally been the richest in genera within Cephalaspidea; however, most of these genera were erected based on only the characteristics of the shell or external morphology. The family was recently revised through a combined analysis of DNA, internal anatomy, and external body and shell morphology, leading to major taxonomic rearrangements and a drastic reduction in the number of genera. However, these analyses also show that there may still be undefined genera and certainly several undescribed species waiting to be discovered. In this work, a new genus and species is described in light of recent revisions within Haminoeidae and the phylogenetic hypothesis generated by Oskars and colleagues. Due to its colourful external anatomy, the new species was initially assumed to belong to Lamprohaminoea, but the specimens failed to produce DNA sequences that could confirm this hypothesis. During further anatomical study of species of Lamprohaminoea and further examination of these specimens, it became clear that the morpho-anatomical features of Confettiella malaquiasi gen. n. and sp. n. distinguish it from this genus and all other genera and species of the Haminoeidae. To illustrate this, shells, external features of the animals, and anatomical characters of the jaws, radula, gizzard plates, and female and male reproductive system were studied by optical and scanning electron microscopy, and these studies are reported here. http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E4AE4023-F7FF-4A6B-9B93-9E5A370067C7 http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9B0BDC04-6622-47CE-B81C-C1CE2C17B8E