Land Snail Genus Research Articles

Qualitative and quantitative methods show stability in patterns of Cepaea nemoralis shell polymorphism in the Pyrenees over five decades.

Over the past century, the study of animal color has been critical in establishing some of the founding principles of biology, especially in genetics and evolution. In this regard, one of the emerging strengths of working with the land snail genus Cepaea is that historical collections can be compared against modern‐day samples, for instance, to understand the impact of changing climate and habitat upon shell morph frequencies. However, one potential limitation is that prior studies scored shell ground color by eye into three discrete colours yellow, pink, or brown. This incurs both potential error and bias in comparative surveys. In this study, we therefore aimed to use a quantitative method to score shell color and evaluated it by comparing patterns of C. nemoralis shell color polymorphism in the Pyrenees, using both methods on present‐day samples, and against historical data gathered in the 1960s using the traditional method. The main finding was that while quantitative measures of shell color reduced the possibility of error and standardized the procedure, the same altitudinal trends were recovered, irrespective of the method. The results also showed that there was a general stability in the local shell patterns over five decades, including altitudinal clines, with just some exceptions. Therefore, although subject to potential error human scoring of snail color data remains valuable, especially if persons have appropriate training. In comparison, while there are benefits in taking quantitative measures of color in the laboratory, there are also several practical disadvantages, mainly in terms of throughput and accessibility. In the future, we anticipate that genomic methods may be used to understand the potential role of selection in maintaining shell morph clines. In addition, photographs generated by citizen scientists conducting field surveys may be used with deep learning‐based methods to survey color patterns.

The operculate micro land snail genus Dicharax Kobelt & Möllendorff, 1900 (Caenogastropoda, Alycaeidae) in Thailand, with description of new species

This study reviews theDicharaxspecies in Thailand. Altogether tenDicharaxspecies are reported, four of which are new to science and described herein. They areDicharax borealisJirapatrasilp & Páll-Gergelysp. nov.,Dicharax burchiJirapatrasilp & Páll-Gergelysp. nov.,Dicharax panhaiJirapatrasilp & Páll-Gergelysp. nov.andDicharax pongratiJirapatrasilp & Tongkerdsp. nov.Alycaeus davisiGodwin-Austen, 1914 is regarded as a junior subjective synonym ofAlycaeus cucullatusTheobald, 1870 (=D. cucullatus) based on a similar depressed-conical shell shape, a long sutural tube and a sharp swelling behind the peristome. Furthermore, the type locality ofAlycaeus pratatensisPanha & Burch, 1997 (=D. pratatensis) had to be amended. Most important characters to distinguishDicharaxspecies are the general shell shape and relative lengths of teleoconch regions, whereas the spiral striation of R1, the shape of swelling of R3, the outer peristome crenulation and protrusion, and the exterior opercular sculpture show large intraspecific variability.

Phylogeny, species delimitation and population structure of the steppe-inhabiting land snail genusHelicopsisin Eastern Europe

AbstractWe here study the steppe-inhabiting land snail genus Helicopsis (Gastropoda: Geomitridae: Helicellinae) across Eastern Europe using mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequences and nuclear AFLP markers and compare the biogeographical patterns with those of other steppe-inhabiting organisms. The subdivision of Central and Eastern European Helicopsis reflects the geographical subdivision of the European steppe belt in Pontic, Pannonian and Northern steppes. The subdivision within Helicopsis is deeper, at the species level, than in most other steppe-inhabiting groups. Helicopsis populations from the Pontic steppes can be classified into two sister-species. Helicopsis lunulata includes mainly populations with depressed conical shells previously identified as H. striata, but also populations with disc-like shells previously identified as H. instabilis, and it is distributed mainly west of the Dnieper River. Most Helicopsis populations from east of the Dnieper, especially from Crimea, belong to the variable H. filimargo that includes H. gasprensis, H. retowskii, H. arenosa, H. luganica, H. martynovi and H. subfilimargo. The species inhabiting the Pannonian Basin and the Northern steppes form a well-supported monophylum, including H. hungarica in the Pannonian Basin, H. austriaca at the fringe of the Eastern Alps and H. striata mainly in the Northern steppes.

Integrative systematics reveals the new land-snail genus Taphrenalla (Eupulmonata: Ariophantidae) with a description of nine new species from Thailand

Abstract The endemic terrestrial Crown Snail from Southern Thailand formerly in Macrochlamys Gray, 1847 is now described as Taphrenalla Pholyotha & Panha gen. nov., based on comparative morphology and molecular data. Overall, eleven Taphrenalla species are now recognized, including two nominal species: T. asamurai and T. diadema. A total of nine new species are proposed: T. alba sp. nov., T. conformis sp. nov., T. corona sp. nov., T. dalli sp. nov., T. incilis sp. nov., T. macrosulcata sp. nov., T. parversa sp. nov., T. pygmaea sp. nov. and T. zemia sp. nov. The molecular phylogeny constructed from the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase c subunit I (COI) and 16S rRNA gene fragments plus the nuclear 28S rDNA gene fragments revealed that Taphrenalla gen. nov. is monophyletic with a well-supported clade. The diagnostic characters of Taphrenalla gen. nov. are the shell sculpture with several radial grooves, body with well-developed colourful stripes running from the head to tail, and genitalia similar to Macrochamys but with an un-coiling epiphallic caecum. The spermatophore has one or two spines near the sperm sac and a spineless tail.

Biogeography of land snail genus Acusta (Gastropoda: Camaenidae): Diversification on East Asian islands

East Asia has highly diverse and endemic biota due to its complex geological and climatic history and its diversified topography. The continental and insular distributions of land snail genus Acusta in East Asia provide a good opportunity to compare the evolutionary processes in this group under different biogeographical conditions. In this study, we inferred the evolutionary history of the land snail genus Acusta by a molecular phylogeny and investigated how the palaeogeographic events shaped species diversity and the distribution of the Acusta genus within the island arc. A concatenated dataset generated from sequences of one nuclear (ITS2) and two mitochondrial (16S, COI) gene fragments, include most of nominal taxa of the genus, four related species and one outgroup. We constructed the phylogeny and the evolutionary history of the genus through maximum-likelihood and Bayesian inference methods, using a Bayesian molecular clock and ancestral range estimation. Our results suggested that currently recognized species in Acusta are polyphyletic. The traditionally accepted concept of the affinity of Acusta and Bradybaena is not supported. The hypothesis of colonization via land bridges during the Pleistocene glaciations for the biota of East Asian islands is not supported. Instead, the origin and diversification of the genus Acusta was dated to the late Miocene–Pliocene from an area around North and Northeast China to South China and East Asian islands Three major evolutionary lineages were identified. Two of the major lineages demonstrate distinct evolutionary histories, as sympatric speciation is the major speciation process for the continental clade, while the insular clade originated from founder events. Taiwan functioned as an important source of diversification for species on the East Asian islands possibly through passive dispersal of different mechanisms. The sea level fluctuations caused by the Pleistocene glacial cycles play a role in the subsequent dispersion and diversification of species of the continental clade, such as the more recent range expansion of A. redfieldi from South China to Taiwan and Japan.

Integrative taxonomic revision of the land snail genus Sarika Godwin-Austen, 1907 in Thailand, with descriptions of nine new species (Eupulmonata, Ariophantidae).

Members of the land snail genus SarikaGodwin-Austen 1907 are superficially similar and difficult to differentiate by their shell morphology so that their species limits are still unclear. In order to resolve the taxonomy of this group, a phylogenetic reconstruction of Sarika is presented, based on morphological and anatomical characters, as well as on partial sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. In total, 23 species of Sarika are recognised in Thailand, and nine species are new to science, namely S. caligina Pholyotha & Panha, sp. nov., S. gratesi Pholyotha & Panha, sp. nov., S. inferospira Pholyotha & Panha, sp. nov., S. lactospira Pholyotha & Panha, sp. nov., S. megalogyne Pholyotha & Panha, sp. nov., S. melanospira Pholyotha & Panha, sp. nov., S. pellosa Pholyotha & Panha, sp. nov., S. solemi Pholyotha & Panha, sp. nov., and S. subheptagyra Pholyotha & Panha, sp. nov. Results from genital examination and COI analyses confirm the monophyly of Sarika and its species. The intra- and inter-specific genetic distances of Sarika were 0–3.7% and 4.6–12.0%, respectively. Colour images of the living adults, shell, and genitalia along with SEM images of the spermatophore and radula are given. In addition, an identification key and a geographical distribution map of Sarika species are provided.

A Sicilian–Cretan biogeographical disjunction in the land snail genusCornu(Gastropoda: Helicidae)

AbstractWe report an unusual biogeographical disjunction between the western and the eastern Mediterranean region. Cornu (Gastropoda: Helicidae) is a western Mediterranean land snail genus. It includes Cornu (Cornu) aspersum, which originated in north-western Africa and was distributed by humans for food or accidentally, first throughout the Mediterranean region and, subsequently, to all continents except Antarctica. It also includes three species belonging to the subgenus Erctella, which are all endemic to Sicily. We discovered a new species of Cornu on the Greek island of Crete. The morphological and molecular genetic analyses showed that the species from Crete is a disjunct representative of the subgenus Erctella. We hypothesize that the disjunction originated by a long-distance dispersal event of the ancestors of the Cretan species from Sicily by birds or by sea currents, perhaps facilitated by a tsunami or a similar event. The Cretan lineage separated from the Sicilian species in the Late Miocene or Early Pliocene. This divergence time is compatible with the hypothesis that the ancestor of Cornu cretense sp. nov. was washed from Sicily to Crete by the Zanclean flood that refilled the Mediterranean basin after it had dried up during the Messinian salinity crisis.

Molecular phylogeny reveals high diversity and endemism in the limestone karst‐restricted land snail genus Sophina Benson, 1859 from Myanmar (Eupulmonata: Helicarionidae), with description of four new species

Molecular phylogeny reveals high diversity and endemism in the limestone karst‐restricted land snail genus <i>Sophina</i> Benson, 1859 from Myanmar (Eupulmonata: Helicarionidae), with description of four new species

Molecular phylogenetics and evolutionary history of the endemic land snail genus Everettia in northern Borneo.

Borneo has gone through dramatic changes in geology and topography from the early Eocene until the early Pliocene and experienced climatic cycling during the Pleistocene. However, how these changes have shaped the present-day patterns of high diversity and complex distribution are still poorly understood. In this study, we use integrative approaches by estimating phylogenetic relationships, divergence time, and current and past niche suitability for the Bornean endemic land snail genus Everettia to provide additional insight into the evolutionary history of this genus in northern Borneo in the light of the geological vicariance events and climatic fluctuations in the Pleistocene. Our results show that northern Borneo Everettia species belong to two deeply divergent lineages: one contains the species that inhabit high elevation at the central mountain range, while the other contains lowland species. Species diversification in these lineages has taken place before the Pliocene. Climate changes during the Pleistocene did not play a significant role in species diversification but could have shaped contemporary species distribution patterns. Our results also show that the species-rich highland habitats have acted as interglacial refugia for highland species. This study of a relatively sedentary invertebrate supports and enhances the growing understanding of the evolutionary history of Borneo. Species diversification in Everettia is caused by geological vicariance events between the early Miocene and the Pliocene, and the distribution patterns were subsequently determined by climatic fluctuations in the Pleistocene.

Land snail genus Sarika Godwin-Austen, 1907 (Eupulmonata: Ariophantidae) from Cambodia, with description of three new species

Taxonomic work on the land snail genus Sarika Godwin-Austen, 1907 in Cambodia is scarce. A total of three species were recognized from Cambodia prior to this study. However, their taxonomic descriptions were based mainly on shell morphology, with limited genital data. To address this knowledge gap, we opportunistically surveyed for land snails in Cambodia. Our inventory yielded four species of Sarika – one recognized species, Sarika bocourti (Morelet, 1875), from Battambang Province and three new species, Sarika khmeriana Pholyotha &amp; Panha sp. nov., Sarika lactoconcha Pholyotha &amp; Panha sp. nov. and Sarika nana Pholyotha &amp; Panha sp. nov. from Kampot and Takeo Provinces in southern Cambodia. Our discovery involves the first species of Sarika to be described from Cambodia in more than a century highlights the extent to which the diversity of Cambodian land snails remains to be discovered. The status of two species, Sarika benoiti (Crosse &amp; Fischer, 1863) and Sarika resplendens (Philippi, 1846), is at present ambiguous because no material identifiable as these species was found in recent extensive surveys. Although S. bocourti was recently collected from Cambodia, its taxonomic position remained unclear due to a lack of living specimens. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of living animals, shell morphology and reproductive anatomy are provided, and a map showing their distributions is given.

Tracking parallel adaptation of shell morphology through geological times in the land snail genusPupilla(Gastropoda: Stylommatophora: Pupillidae)

AbstractChanging environmental conditions force species either to disperse or to adapt locally either genetically or via phenotypic plasticity. Although limits of plasticity can be experimentally tested, the predictability of genetic adaptation is restricted due to its stochastic nature. Nevertheless, our understanding of evolutionary adaptation has been improving in particular through studies of parallel adaptation. Based on molecular phylogenetic inferences and morphological investigations of both recent and fossil shells we tracked the morphological changes in three land snails, Pupilla alpicola, Pupilla loessica and Pupilla muscorum. These species differ in habitat requirements as well as historical and extant distributions with P. alpicola and P. loessica being more similar to each other than to P. muscorum. Therefore, we hypothesized, that the three species reacted independently and individually to the conditions changing throughout the Pleistocene, but expected that changes within P. alpicola and P. loessica would be more similar compared to P. muscorum. Indeed, intraspecific shell shape differences across time were similar in P. alpicola and P. loessica, suggesting that similar niche shifts have led to similar transformations in parallel. In contrast, extant P. muscorum populations were practically identical in shape to their ancestors. They have probably tracked their ecological niches through time.

Taxonomic revision of the land snail genera Macrochlamys Gray, 1847 and Sarika Godwin-Austen, 1907 (Eupulmonata: Ariophantidae) from south-eastern Myanmar, with descriptions of three new species

ABSTRACTKnowledge of Myanmar land snails is based on the late eighteenth to early twentieth century literature and many species need to be re-investigated, especially in the genera Macrochlamys Gray, 1847 and Sarika Godwin-Austen, 1907. In order to update this knowledge, this paper presents information on these two related genera based on new materials from south-eastern Myanmar. Fifteen species are recognised in the south-east of Myanmar. Of these, live material was available for eight Macrochlamys and Sarika species and these are described in full herein, based on data from the shell, external morphology and genitalia, including three species new to science (M. brachystia n. sp., S. concavata n. sp. and S. lopa n. sp.) and five species redescribed (M. aspides, M. kelantanensis, M. petasus, S. consepta and S. obesior). The remaining five species are known only from their shell morphology (M. cauisa, M. perpaula, M. poongee, M. salwinensis and S. birmana) and two species are known from genitalia (S. dugasti and S. resplendens). For these species the shells are figured and some taxonomic remarks are provided.http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:58D2A9E7-50FD-49C2-B2F4-4D00457EA331

The value of a single character: the Paleogene European land snail Ferussina Grateloup, 1827 is likely a cyclophorid (Gastropoda, Caenogastropoda).

Ferussina Grateloup, 1827 is a European Paleogene land snail genus, which is currently classified in its own family, the Ferussinidae Wenz, 1923 (1915), in the superfamily Cyclophoroidea. The shell of this genus is remarkable by its last quarter whorl turning towards the apex instead of away from it, which is an unusual trait in terrestrial snails. We show, however, that this trait has evolved at least nine times in terrestrial Eupulmonata and Caenogastropoda, and it does not justify distinction at the family level in any of the reported cases. This observation suggests the systematic position of Ferussina should not be based on the apexward-turning last quarter whorl alone but instead on the general morphology of the shell. As a result, we re-evaluate the systematic position of the Ferussinidae and treat it as a subfamily of the Cyclophoridae.

&lt;i&gt;Campolaemus &lt;/i&gt;Pilsbry, 1892 is not a hypselostomatid, but a streptaxid (Gastropoda: Eupulmonata)

The monotypic land snail genus Campolaemus, known only from Saint Helena Island, has been classified in the family Hypselostomatidae, a family occurring in the eastern Palaearctic and in the Oriental region. Due to biogeographical reasons and morphological traits, especially the arrangement and morphology of apertural barriers, Campolaemus is moved to the family Streptaxidae, which is a pantropic family, being highly diverse in tropical Africa.

Hybridization and recurrent evolution of left-right reversal in the land snail genus Schileykula (Orculidae, Pulmonata).

The land snail genus Schileykula Gittenberger, 1983 is distributed in arid limestone areas from western Turkey to north‐western Iran. It comprises eight species, which display high variation in shell size and morphology. The cylindrical shells are 5–12 mm in height and the last shell whorls bear several inner lamellae and plicae. Two taxa differ in their chirality having sinistral shells, while all the others are dextrals such as the vast majority of orculids. The aim of this study was to establish a molecular genetic phylogeny of Schileykula and to test whether it conforms to the current morphology‐based classification. Furthermore, we were interested in the phylogenetic position of the two sinistral forms in order to assess whether one or two reversals happened in the evolution of the genus. Nine out of ten species, including all four subspecies of Schileykula trapezensis and three of six subspecies of Schileykula scyphus, were investigated. A section of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene was analyzed in 54 specimens of Schileykula and from a subsample, partial sequences of the mitochondrial genes for the 12S rRNA and the 16S rRNA, and a section of the nuclear H4/H3 histone gene cluster were obtained. The phylogenetic trees based on the mitochondrial sequences feature high support values for most nodes, and the species appear well differentiated from each other. The two chiral forms evolved independently and are not sister lineages. However, some groupings disagree with the present morphology‐based classification and taxonomical conclusions are drawn. Schileykula trapezensis is polyphyletic in the molecular genetic trees; therefore, three of its subspecies are elevated to species level: Schileykula acampsis Hausdorf, 1996 comb. nov., Schileykula neuberti Hausdorf, 1996 comb. nov., and Schileykula contraria Neubert, 1993 comb. nov. Furthermore, Schileykula sigma is grouped within S. scyphus in the mitochondrial and nuclear trees and consequently treated as a subspecies of the latter (Schileykula scyphus sigma Hausdorf, 1996 comb. nov.). Schileykula nordsiecki, whose shell morphology is indistinguishable from that of the neighboring Schileykula scyphus lycaonica, but who differs in its genital anatomy, was confirmed to represent a distinct lineage. The phylogenies produced by the mitochondrial and nuclear data sets are to some extent conflicting. The patterns differ concerning the grouping of some specimens, suggesting at least two independent hybridization events involving S. contraria, S. scyphus and S. trapezensis. The results exemplify the importance of integrating both mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data in order to complement morphology‐based taxonomy, and they provide further evidence for hybridization across distantly related lineages in land snails.

First record of the land gastropod genus Otesiopsis from South Korea (Helicarionoidea Bourguignat, 1877).

Otesiopsis Habe, 1946 is a land snail genus, which is known so far from Japan and Taiwan. Individuals of this genus were collected from Gageodo Island, South Korea. This is the first record of the genus Otesiopsis from this country. The individuals from Gageodo Island appear to be a new species because of their unique shell morphologies, while the details of their anatomy are still lacking. Further studies are encouraged to investigate the taxonomic and conservation status of the genus Otesiopsis in South Korea.

A new sinistral species of the land-snail genus Satsuma (Pulmonata: Camaenidae) from China

ABSTRACTThe species of Satsuma are mostly endemic to East Asia except for one species distributed in Batan Island of the Philippines. More than 99% of the known species of this genus are endemic to the island environment. Only three species are currently known to occur on the mainland. Here we describe a new sinistral Satsuma species from China, Satsuma guandi n. sp. We studied the shell morphology and genital anatomy of the new species and reconstructed the molecular phylogeny of the genus based on partial nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and nuclear markers from the ribosomal RNA cistrons (the internal transcribed spacer and the external transcribed spacer regions). The new species differs from other sinistral Satsuma species by having a strongly angulated shell and an open dark brownish-red umbilicus. The new species also differed from all other sinistral congeners in details of its reproductive anatomy. The molecular analysis supports the validity of the new species within the genus Satsuma.

Towards a systematic revision of the eastern Australian land snail Austrochloritis Pilsbry, 1891 (Eupulmonata, Camaenidae): re-description of its type species, A. porteri (Cox, 1866)

Helix porteri Cox, 1866 is the type species of Austrochloritis Pilsbry, 1891, a speciose genus of camaenid land snail with a known range in eastern Australia stretching from Wilson’s Promontory in Victoria to southeastern Queensland. This species was first described based on material from two locations in New South Wales, “Upper Clarence River at Guy Faux Station” and “Upper Richmond River, at Cowlong”. These two locations are about 230 km apart from each other while all type material is considered to be lost. Comparative morpho-anatomy of specimens collected in the proximity of both type localities shows that the original concept of Helix porteri is based on two distinct species. Here we designate a neotype for this species from the Upper Richmond River area and provide a detailed redescription in order to remove any ambiguity about the identity of Austrochloritis porteri. Material from the vicinity of the second site mentioned in the original description of H. porteri, Guy Fawkes Station, is identified as Austrochloritis speculoris Shea & Griffiths, 2010. We describe key diagnostic features distinguishing both species.

Revision of the land snail genus Landouria Godwin-Austen, 1918 (Gastropoda, Camaenidae) from Java

A revision of the land snail genus Landouria Godwin-Austin, 1918 (Camaenidae) from Java reveals that this group represents the most diverse land snail radiation on that island. Only six species of Landouria were recognized from Java in the last revision of the genus based on shell characters. Our investigation, which also considers the genitalia as well as DNA sequences, shows that the diversity in Java is much higher. Based on newly collected specimens as well as museum material, twenty-eight species of Landouria from Java are described and figured. To stabilize the nomenclature, neotypes are designated for L. winteriana (Pfeiffer, 1842) and L. rotatoria (Pfeiffer, 1842). Sixteen species are described as new to science, i.e., L. naggsi sp. nov., L. parahyangensis sp. nov., L. nusakambangensis sp. nov., L. petrukensis sp. nov., L. tholiformis sp. nov., L. madurensis sp. nov., L. abdidalem sp. nov., L. sewuensis sp. nov., L. tonywhitteni sp. nov., L. sukoliloensis sp. nov., L. nodifera sp. nov., L. pacitanensis sp. nov., L. zonifera sp. nov., L. pakidulan sp. nov., L. dharmai sp. nov. and L. menorehensis sp. nov. Landouria conoidea (Leschke, 1914) comb. nov., L. intumescens (Martens, 1867) comb. nov., L. moussoniana (Martens, 1867) comb. nov., L. schepmani (Möllendorff, 1897) comb. nov. and L. leucochila (Gude, 1905) comb. nov. are considered valid species of the genus Landouria for the first time. Plectotropis kraepelini Leschke, 1914 syn. nov. is considered a probable synonym of L. winteriana (Pfeiffer, 1842), P. trichotrochium Möllendorff, 1897 syn. nov. is a synonym of L. epiplatia (Möllendorff, 1897) and the preoccupied name Helix squamulosa Martens, 1867 syn. nov. is a synonym of L. madurensis sp. nov. We estimate that there are actually more than fifty species of Landouria in Java because many shell samples could not be classified and because no material is available from several regions of the island. A molecular phylogeny reveals that the species from Java do not form a monophyletic group, but that at least one species from Timor is nested within Javanese clades. This means that the Oriental Landouria crossed Wallace’s line, the supposed border between the Oriental and Australo-Papuan regions, at least twice and supports the conclusion that Wallace’s line does not represent a more severe barrier for terrestrial organisms than other straits through the archipelago. Within the Javanese clades, species from western and eastern Java are mixed, indicating frequent dispersals also within Java.

Review of the fossil record of the Australian land snail genus Bothriembryon Pilsbry, 1894 (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Bothriembryontidae): new distributional and geological data

The land snail genus Bothriembryon Pilsbry, 1894, endemic to southern Australia, contains seven fossil and 39 extant species, and forms part of the Gondwanan family Bothriembryontidae. Little published data on the geographical distribution of fossil Bothriembryon exists. In this study, fossil and modern data of Bothriembryon from nine Australian museums and institutes were mapped for the first time. The fossil Bothriembryon collection in the Western Australian Museum was curated to current taxonomy. Using this data set, the geological age of fossil and extant species was documented. Twenty two extant Bothriembryon species were identified in the fossil collection, with 15 of these species having a published fossil record for the first time. Several fossil and extant species had range extensions. The geological age span of Bothriembryon was determined as a minimum of Late Oligocene to recent, with extant endemic Western Australian Bothriembryon species determined as younger, traced to Pleistocene age. Extant Bothriembryon species from the Nullarbor region were older, dated Late Pliocene to Early Pleistocene. Cave environments proved an excellent source of fossil Bothriembryon material, where shells often showed signs of predation. The dataset from this study provided insights into the origin and radiation of Bothriembryon, and will enable future phylogenetic dating.