Volume 26

Eduard von Martens (1831–1904) was a prominent German malacologist of the nineteenth century contributed heavily to taxonomy and zoogeography of different groups of Mollusca and created a plethora of taxonomic names of the genus and species rank. The type materials of the species described by him are kept now in the Berlin Natural History Museum (Museum für Naturkunde). This article deals with von Martens’ role as a student of continental snails and bivalves of the former Russian Empire. Though von Martens did not travelled to Russia himself, he was able to study numerous samples of mollusks provided to him by both Russian and German explorers. It made him a great student of Russian malacofauna of that time. Most of von Martens works in this field were devoted to investigation of continental mollusks of the underexplored regions of the Russian Empire (Siberia, Russian Turkestan, Caucasus). At least 15 species described by von Martens are accepted as valid by the Russian malacologists. The article contains detailed accounts of the 15 species with illustrations of their type materials (lectotypes, syntypes), notes on distribution, taxonomy and nomenclature of these taxa.

Arion distinctus is reported from the urban biotope of Uzhorod. It is possible that the specimen from Uzhorod environs, early identified as Arion hortensis, belonged to A. distinctus. For the first time Arion circumscriptus is reported from the Eastern Ukraine (Donetsk Region). The external (coloration) and internal (genital structure) distinctions of these species are described.

Oxyloma sarsii tulomica subsp. nov. is described from the Kola Peninsula. The subspecies differs from the nominative subspecies Oxyloma sarsii sarsii, described from the Northern Norway in having predominately transverse folds in the inner penis wall, different shape of the crystals inside the penis. Data on variability and biology of the subspecies are presented, some problems of taxonomy of O. sarsii are discussed.

The species composition and quantitative distribution of freshwater gastropods in 26 water bodies of the Vishtynets upland (Kaliningrad region, Russia) are described. Samplings were made in 2013–2014. There were found 24 species of gastropods – 6 Prosobranchia and 18 Pulmonata. Most of obtained species are members of the permanent water body communites: Planorbarius corneus, Bithynia tentaculata, Lymnaea stagnalis, Viviparus contectus, Stagnicola corvus, Radix auricularia, Radix balthica, Planorbis planorbis, Physa fontinalis and Anisus vortex. Radix ampla, Ancylus fluviatilis and Aplexa hypnorum were found in the studied area for the first time. 14 species known from the literature inhabit the Vishtynets lake were absent in studied samples. The thanatocoenoses in the trout rivers with high speed current include freshwater gastropod shells that are typical for the stagnant water bodies. In studied samples some invasive species that were previously recorded for the adjacent areas of the Poland and the Kaliningrad region were absent. Five of recorded species are included in the Red Data Book of the Kaliningrad region.

Two species of South-East Asian genus Parmarion Fischer, 1856 (P. martensi Simroth, 1894 and P. pupillaris Humbert, 1864) (Ariophantidae) have been found in Central Vietnam (Dak Lak province). Illustrated descriptions of external appearance and reproductive tracts of both species are presented. Along with these species one juvenile specimen of Meghimatium bilineatum (Benson, 1842) (Philomycidae) has been found in south-east part of Vietnam (Dalat City).

The description of the new genus Antarctophiline gen. nov. with the type species Philine gibba is given based on penial and gizzard morphology. The new genus includes also A. alata and A. amoena. The anatomy of Antarctophiline gibba shows many similarities with “Philine” alba and “Philine“ alboides. The new genus definitely doesn’t belong to Philinidae s.str. It differs from Laonidae in lacking of gizzard plates and has some similarities with the family Philinorbidae. The new genus is tentatively placed into the family Philinorbidae. Features of morphology of Antarctophiline gibba described from different localities are discussed.