Abstract:

Members of the land snail genus Sarika Godwin-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.

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