Iberozospeum goliath n. sp. (Gastropoda: Eupulmonata: Ellobiidae), the first subfossil and (supposedly) extinct species of the genus
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The genus Iberozospeum Jochum, Kneubühler, Prieto & Neubert, 2022 includes nine Iberian species, all of them extant and sequenced, although phylogenetic analyses suggest the existence of more than 20 potentially taxonomically recognizable lineages. Apart from these populations, in the El Refugio-3 cave (Trucíos, Bizkaia, Spain), belonging to the Gordón block of the Alén massif, subfossil shells of two unknown species have been found, one very large with an auriculate opening and a large parietal lamella, described as I. goliath Prieto & Gómez-Moliner n. sp., and another very small one with a circular openingand internally trilamellate, which is not described here. While the small species has been found alive in caves of this and other massifs, shells of I. goliath have only been found in the El Refugio caves, buried in consolidated clay. The age of these shells has not been determined, but we estimate it to be at least thousands of years old.
Authors: Prieto, Carlos, Gómez-Moliner, Benjamín, Moreno, Javier
Institution: University of the Basque Country
Language: English
Subfield: Paleontology
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7078288951