A new species of Solaropsis Beck, 1837 (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora: Solaropsidae) from the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

A specimen of Solaropsidae from the collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (Philadelphia, USA) was recognised as a potential new species based on shell morphology. With support from a multi-locus molecular phylogenetic analysis, a new species is described here: Solaropsis penthesileae sp. nov. It is native to the Amazon Rainforest in Pará state, northern Brazil, and it is closely related to S. nimbus (Simone). It differs in its more discoid shell, with a wider body whorl that bears a stronger median angulation in its lower spire. The specimen was collected in 1998 and is an example of the long shelf-life invertebrates may have in museum collections before they are identified and formally described. It is also a reminder of the importance of those collections for biodiversity studies.