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RESEARCH PAPER
A new species of Zonites Montfort, 1810 from the Aegean (Chtapodia, Greece): islet endemic and critically endangered
1
Faculty of Biology, Department of Ecology and Taxonomy, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
2
Natural History Museum of Crete, University of Crete, Greece
3
Department of Biology, University of Crete, Greece
Submission date: 2026-05-30
Final revision date: 2026-07-07
Acceptance date: 2026-07-11
Online publication date: 2026-09-14
Publication date: 2026-09-14
Corresponding author
Kostas A. Triantis
Faculty of Biology, Department of Ecology and Taxonomy, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
Faculty of Biology, Department of Ecology and Taxonomy, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
Folia Malacol. 2026;34(3):196-211
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
The species Zonites whittakeri n. sp. (Zonitidae) is described from two islets off Mykonos Island (Cyclades, Aegean, Greece). A small population of the species persists on the islet of Chtapodia, whereas only subfossil shells were recovered from Tragonisi islet, suggesting that the species is locally extinct. The species is diagnosed on the basis of shell morphology as well as its reproductive system, and is distinguished from congeners by a combination of characters including a medium-sized shell with 5.2–5.8 nearly flat whorls, shallow sutures, light brown colour, much paler underside; keel present in juveniles but fading on the last whorl of adults; penis long and bipartite with internal hooked spines only in its proximal part. Zonites whittakeri n. sp. is assessed as Critically Endangered under the IUCN Red List criteria due to its highly restricted area of occupancy, small population size, and the ongoing threat posed by rodent predation. The species name honours Professor Robert J. Whittaker (University of Oxford) in recognition of his contributions to island biogeography.
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