On some land snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of Los Molles, central Chile

Abstract

Among the terrestrial invertebrates, the molluscan species of central and northern Chile have been scarcely studied and here, for the first time, a record of the diversity of land snail species of Los Molles (32 • 14' S, 71 • 31' W), in the Valparaíso region, central Chile is reported. Four species were found: Chiliborus rosaceus (King & Broderip, 1831); Lilloiconcha lopezi Araya & Aliaga, 2015; Plectostylus chilensis (Lesson, 1830), and Plectostylus reflexus (Pfeiffer, 1842); all of them are ground dwelling snails, endemic, occurring in small geographical ranges or in fragmented populations along northern and central Chile; L. lopezi is an endemic species to Los Molles. The geographic distribution records of P. chilensis and P. reflexus are also extended and illustrations of the species and distribution records are presented. The areas around Los Molles harbor a comparatively high diversity of plants and invertebrates, and they should be considered in future conservation efforts.

Shelter, ecophysiology and conservation status of Plectostylus araucanus (Pulmonata: Bothriembryontidae) in the fragmented Maulino Forest, central Chile

“…Plectostylus Beck 1837 (Pulmonata: Bothriembryontidae) is a recognized genus of endemic South American land snails, represented in Chile by 13 species distributed from Iquique, Tarapacá region, to del Diablo Island, Aysén region (Stuardo & Vega, 1985;Valdovinos & Stuardo, 1988). This genus is largely extant in different ecosystems, inhabiting areas from coastal deserts and coastal scrublands in northern Chile (Araya, 2016;Araya & Catalán, 2014;Jackson & Jackson, 2011), to coastal and Valdivian forest in central and southern parts of the country (Smith-Ramírez et al, 2007;Valdovinos & Stuardo, 1988). Relevant information on taxonomy and the systematic position of Plectostylus has been discussed by different authors (Breure & Romero, 2012;Valdovinos & Stuardo, 1988;Van Bruggen et al, 2016).…”

“…Relevant information on taxonomy and the systematic position of Plectostylus has been discussed by different authors (Breure & Romero, 2012;Valdovinos & Stuardo, 1988;Van Bruggen et al, 2016). On the other hand, several authors (Araya, 2016;Araya & Catalán, 2014;Jackson & Jackson, 2011;Valdovinos & Stuardo, 1988) highlight the deficiency in information about ecology, which is still poorly understood and represent critical gaps, especially concerning changes in land use and global warming. These threats represent some of the most important drivers in biodiversity loss of terrestrial and freshwater mollusks worldwide (Beltramino et al, 2015;Cordellier et al, 2012;Lydeard et al, 2004;Pearce & Paustian, 2013;Régnier et al, 2009Régnier et al, , 2015.…”

A new terrestrial snail species (Gastropoda: Bulimulidae) from the Región de Antofagasta, northern Chile

“…In the present study—part of ongoing work aimed at reviewing the terrestrial mollusks from northern and central Chile ( Araya & Aliaga, 2015 ; Araya, 2015b ; Araya, 2016 )—we report a new terrestrial snail species, characterized by having a shell with an expanded aperture and a columellar fold. It was collected buried in humus and sand among communities of arborescent cacti ( Eulychnia iquiquensis ), large succulent shrubs ( Euphorbia lactiflua ), and other xerophytic plants in a narrow area in the foothills of the Chilean Coastal Range north of Paposo, Región de Antofagasta, in northern Chile.…”