The arboreal microsnail Pupisoma dioscoricola (C. B. Adams, 1845) from West Bengal, India: morphology, plant preferences and distribution

Abstract

The microsnails (Mollusca: Gastropoda), featured by miniscule size (adult shell size < 5mm), are little explored among the Indian terrestrial malacofauna. In the present study, the morphological features, host plant preference and predicted distribution of the arboreal microsnail Pupisoma dioscoricola (C. B. Adams, 1845) (Gastropoda: Valloniidae) are characterized from West Bengal, India. The shell features were highly correlated and showed a positive correlation with body weight. The apical angle of the shell of P. dioscoricola was negatively correlated with shell height and body weight and revealed a typical value, indicative of the arboreal adaptations. The toothless pupa snail P. dioscoricola exhibited a greater preference for the mango tree over China rose, Bengal quince, Indian mahogany and coconut as a host plant. The results of the species distribution modelling suggested that cultivated or managed vegetation and annual precipitation might be the most influential factors for its distribution. Although the present study is a pioneer effort to describe the plant preferences and the morphological features of the microsnail P. dioscoricola, further studies should be carried out to decipher the functional roles and conservation management of such an apparently cryptic organism.