Alejandro Fernandez & Steffen Franke
Cnetro de Investigaciones y Services Ambientales y Technologicos de Holguin. ale@cisat.holguinminf.cu
Geistenstr. 24, 40476 Düsselforf, Germany. Ste.franke@arcor.de

ABSTRACT

Between 2003 and 2005 exploratory studies of Microceramus and Spiroceramus were carried out in the following zones: I. Coastal zone from Guardalavaca beach – Cerro de Yaguajay (Banes municipality) to Pesquero Nuevo (Rafael Freyre municipality); II. Calcareous hills of the Maniabon Group (in Holguin and Gibara municipalities) and III. Sierra Candelaria and Sierra Cupeicillo eramus angulosa was found in four new localities in zone I. Microceramus orientalis, an endemic soecies from Holguin, was found in La Vega de Managuaco, Gibara, zone II. Nevertheless, some data available in different museums must be corroborated with the field work. Three new records are given for Spiroceramus amplus (zones II and III); in addition Spiroceramus barbouri was found in another locality in Sierra de Cupeicillo (zone III). Both species of Spiro-ceramus occurred in two separate hilly zones (Sierras).

Keywords: Microceramus, Spiroceramus, Urocoptidae, Mollusca, Geographic distribu-tion.

INTRODUCTION

Most Cuban micro land snails should be considered as threatened species because of their micro-localization and their limited mobility. These things make them more vulnerable to possible extinction. In Holguin Province the micro land snails of the Family Urocoptidae have been scarcely studied and their geographic distribution not completely known (Espinosa & Ortea, 1999). New data has now been obtained on the Microcera-mus and Spiroceramus from exploratory studies carried out from 2003 to 2005. Knowledge of these species has been enlarged particularly in the Maniabon Group during the search for Urocoptidae. Because these mollusks are strictly calciphiles, the areas of calcareous hills in Holguin Province was the focus of the study. Each of the calcareous hills in the Maniabon Orograph Group have their local name. These calcareous hills are located in the oriental part of Cuba, the northeast section, belonging to the Peniplano Camagüey-Tunas Holguin (Guarch & Perez, 1995). This area consists of an exclusive landscape known as conical karst (Acevedo, 1992) and on a world scale has been classifie ass the best example of these karsts (Panos, 1988). In addition this beautiful mountainous area was described by Christopher Columbus in his navigational diary of 1492 as “Mesquita de Colon” and were named the Humboldt Group in 1941 (Miranda et al, 1992). The main goal of the current paper is to enlarge the knowledge of the geographic distribution of some species of Microceramus and Spiro-ceramus and to present some data as to their habitat.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Methods concerning Microceramus angulo-sus (Gundlach in Pfeiffer, 1857. Sampling was performed between July and August 2005 in the northern oriental coast from Guardalavaca Beach (Banes Municipality) to Pesquero Nuevo (Rafael Freyre Municipal-ity) in Holguin Province. Explorations were conducted during walks along the coastal zone near the sea and in nearby hills. The area covered was 9 km in length and 1 km in width. Explorations occurred between 0800 and 2000 hours. Searches were made of the flat land (terrace) and the hilly zone on limestone rocks and specimens were looked for in crevices, rock holes, pool holes, under and above the karst rocks, the cliff walls, in leaf fall (litter), logs on the ground and other substrates, as well as examining many plants and trees. A total of 150 rocks were sampled in each locality where Microcera-mus angulosus was found: Pesquero Nuevo, hilly zone of Playa Yuraguanal and Playa Caleticas. Taking into account the data obtained an estimate of abundance was made. Also during an exploratory study made in September 204, another population was found on Yaguajay Hill near Gardalavaca Beach.

Methods concerning Spiroceramus species and Microceramus orientalis Aguayo, 1935. Extensive sampling was made on various karst hills in the Maniabon Group, Sierra de Candelaria and Sierra de Cupeicillo. The fieldwork was carried out between 2003 and 2005 in the following calcareous hills: Cerro La Mula, Velasco, Gibara Municipality; Cerro Vega de Managuaco, Uñas, Gibara; Cerro Guayacanes, Aguas Claras, Holguin; Cerro Almirante, Sao Arriba, Holguin; Cerro Machin, Sao Arriba, Holguin. Also samples were taken in a few isolated localities in Sierra Candelaria (Cueva El Chombo and Curva del Agua) and Sierra de Cupeicillo (Cueva La Masango and Cueva de la Campana) in the Gibara Municipality, in the calcareous hill zone from Bocas (Velasco) to Gibara City.

Stereoscopic microscopes were used to examine the collected specimens. Observed features were compared with the original descriptions by various authors (Pfeiffer, 1857 and 1859; Pilsbry, 1904; Aguayo, 1953; Clench, 1947). All specimens collected have been poreserved by the authors for use in future studies on systematics.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Genus Microceramus
Pilsbry & Vanatta,1898

1. Microceramus angulosus
(Gundlach in Pfeiffer, 1857)

Known Historical Geographic Range

This species is described as “14, Bulimus angulosus Gundl. Macroceramus angulosus Gundl. Mss.- Von Magua” by L. Pfeiffer, Malakozoologische Blaetter vol. 4 p. 107 (from Magua, a sugar plantation near Trinidad) and a year later noted by L. Pfeiffer in Malakozool. Bl. 5 (1858): 44 as “21. Macroceramus angulosus Gundl., nun auch bei Guisa gefunden. 22….” (now also found near Guisa – Bayamo-) after the 01-Sept-1857.

Brief reports from Gundlach, in Cuba, to Pfeiffer, in Germany and the latter’s publication in his Monographia Heliceorum Viventium (1859) vol. 4: 690 where he states, after the Latin description “Habitat Magua prope Trinidad, nec non Guisa Insulae Cubae”.

Arango, 1878: 84 gives only the following: “Habitat en las piedras de Magua y Sitio Quemado en Trinidad (Gundl.)”

Pilsbry, 1904: 166-67 (Manual of Conchol-ogy) writes about this species “Central Cuba: Magua and Sitio Quemado, in Trinidad district, Santa Clara (Gundlach); also Guisa, in eastern Cuba”.

M. angulosa occurs in few localities in Cuba: Corralito (Holguin), Guisa (Gramma Province) and Magua y Sitio Quemado (Santi Spiritus Province) (Espinosa & Ortea, 1999). But recently another population was found in the coastal area of Rafael Freyre Municipality at Holguin.

New Records. Four additional populations of Microceramus angulosus were found in the Pesquero Nuevo – Playa Caletica area:

1. Pesquero Nuevo: behind LTI Costa Verde near the shoreline in a disturbed evergreen forest. Live specimens found Aug. 7, 2005.

2. Hilly zone of Playa Yuraguanal in semideciduous forest. Only empty shells were found. August 2, 2005.

3. Playa Caleticas: Playa Caletica, in dry evergreen forest. Live specimens found August 2, 2005.

4. Yaguaiay Hill (Cerro de Yaguajay, Banes) in shaded and semi-shaded areas of the semideciduous forest at the top of a calcareous hill near the point named Mirador Bello Horizionte. May 5, 2005.

Remarks:

Some specimens of this species were collected near Velasco in 1996 at La Calera, Las Tunas Province. This area is part of a system of calcareous hills extending from La Yaya to the border of the Gibara Municipality.

We can’t find the source for data in Espinosa & Ortea (1999): 102 (species Nro. 973) “Corralito, provincial de Holguin”. Torres (1987a) had not isted this species in Holguin Province and it is also not included in the abstract of all Urocoptidae in Richardson (1991) which included all data published up to 1991. We need to confirm, in a future work, if M. angulosum or related species occur in Corralto, Rafael Freyre Municipality, Holguin Province. It seems that M. orientalis occurs there, but not M. angulo-sum. See our discussion on M. orientalis in this paper.

Habitat and Population Abundance

All populations of M. angulosum at Pesquero Nuevo and Playa Caleticas occur exclusively on developed karst areas. The many limestone rocks of the substrate used as shelter also have abundant lichens making this a favorable habitat for the snails. Since the snails live under isolated rocks in the karst area, the removal of these rocks for use in building fences or walls will eliminate the main ecological requirement for the survival of the species. This has been the main human activity which has affected the populations of M. angulosum in the Pesquero Nuevo area.

In Pesquero Nuevo the population was classified as a demographic rarity because of its low density. Of the 150 stones sampled only two had snails: one had two adults and eight juveniles; the other six adults and sixteen juveniles. In another colony located here, where 25 rocks were sampled, eight adults and 20 juveniles were found in vegetation called Yanal (Conocar-pus erecta) on unperturbed substrate. The felled vegetation and consequent exposure to sunlight might explain the low population.

Just the opposite occurred in the Caleticas’s population. Here 150 sampled rocks of different sizes were examined and most of them (85%) had snails in a micro-habitat similar to that at Pesquero Nuevo. Here the conservation of the dry evergreen forest was a factor in the high numbers of individuals per rock – eight to twenty adults and as many as fifty juveniles were reported on single rocks.

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2. Microceramus orientalis Aguayo, 1935

Historical Geographic Range

This species occurs only in Holguin Province and is known from two localities: Cerro de la Cañada de los Jagueyes, Holguin (Espinosa & Ortea, 1999) and Las Cuevas, Holguin (Jaume & Torre, 1980). The last locality belongs to Corralito, Rafael Freyre Municipality, but a specific locality in the calcareous hills of the Maniabon Group needs to be demonstrated. It may also occur in Cerro Cariblanco. Torres (1987a) listed, without specific locality, Microceramus aguayoi as occurring in Holguin, but this is now considered a miss-identification as that species does not occur in Holguin.

In the collection of the Florida Museum are specimens with th following data: UF 51154 Microceramus aguayoi Torre, Las Cuevas, Holguin, Oriente Province as well as UF 160798 referred to the same species and locality, collected by Aguayo and UF 160799 Microceramus aguayoi Torre from Cerro Ramon Leyva, Sao Arriba, collector Feria. All specimens in the collection at UF are undoubtedly Macroceramus orientalis and not Macroceramus (Aguayoceramus) aguayoi (Torre and Bartsch, 1943, unpublished) that are known exclusively from Sierra de Cubitas, Camaguey and which differ in that M. (A.) aguayoi has a strong spiral fold on the columella and M. orientalis does not have this feature.

The type material of Microceramus orientalis is in the collection of the USNM, with the following data: La Cueva, Finca Holguin. Type, col Aguayo & Garcia Feria and paratype USNM 542479 with the same source and data.

Another locality for this species, Cañada Honda must be considered . UF 50276 Microceramus angulosus orientalis Aguayo, from Cañada Honda, Holguin Province, appears in the collection of the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville. This information and a photo obtained by Dr. Ira Richling (2004) show a shell which has a strong similarity to Microceramus orientalis. So, M. orientalis is reported from four localities in Holguin Province, but is will be necessary for us, in future explorations, to confirm this information.

Remark

Near Holguin City there is another locality named Las Cuevas. It is located between Holguin City and San Adres town, anout 6 km NW from Holguin City. This site was visited recently (October 2004), but specimens of this species were not found.

New Records

Vega de Managuaco, located between Presa Cacoyuguin and Uñas town, Gibara Municipality, July 22, 2005. A large population, with many live specimens, was found on surfaces of limestone rocks and on cliff walls. Empty shells were also abundant in places. Live specimens occurred only in shady areas of the semidecidous forest, mainly on vertical walls in the north part of the calcareous hill in an exclusive area of 200 m in length and 25 m in height. It is an amazing aggregation of thousands of individuals of all sizes.

We have also found the species recently (May 12, 2004) in San Arriba, at Cerro Machin, (N 20° 55’ 0.73”; W 076° 11’ 44.8”).

4. Macroceramus sp.

In Cerro Almirante (N 20° 56’ 44.2”; W 076° 12’ 47.3”), Sao Arribam 7.34 km from Holguin, some specimens of a Microcera-mus species were found August 17, 2005. These are still without specified taxonomic status.

Genus Spiroceramus
Pilsbry & Vanatta, 1898

Systematics & Geographic Range

Systematic information concerning Spirocer-amus (Clench, 1967) has been actualized and Schileyko (1999) supports it. Today four species of Spiroceramus are known from Cuba and two from the Bahamas (Clench, 1967).

In Cuba the following species were given by Clench (1967): Spiroceramus (Spiroceram-us) amplus (Pfeiffer, 1858) from Guisa and San Andrés Bayamo, Granma Province, occurring as well in Cerro Moncada and Cerro San Juan, in Sao Arriba territory, Holguin Province; Spiroceramus (S.) barbouri Aguayo, 1935, from Curva or Cueva de la Campana, Gibara Municipality; Spiroceramus (S.) pilsbryi Clench, 1967 and Spiroceramus (S.) vannatai Clench, 1967, both from Sierra de Cubitas, Camaguey Province. In the Bahama Islands two new species were described: Spiroceramus (Insulaceramus) greenwayi Clench, 1967 and Spiroceramus (I.) robertsoni Clench, 1967.

1. Spiroceramus (Spiroceramus) amplus (Pfeiffer, 1858) in Holguin Province

Historic Geographical Range

Some localities in Holguin, such as Guayacanes and Cerro Juan Paez, among others were mentioned in Clench (1967). All localities were from Sao Arriba and always on calcareous hills which had scarcely been explored. We will comment on information we have obtained.

Cerro de Guayacanes N 20° 58’ 32.3”; W 076° 13’ 39.5” 169 a 171 m asl, about 7 km from Holguin (July 29, 2005) a large population of S. amplus was found. It was located between Cerro Verde, Aguas Claras N 20° 57’ 49”; W 076° 16’ 41.8” and Sao Arriba (Cerro Machin) where many live specimens occurred on huge limestone rocks in the semidecidous forest in shady and semi-shady sites. This locality was known before as there are some specimens (7) in the Garcia Feria Collection in the Museo de Historia Natural de Holguin (MHNH) named as Spiroceramus holguinensis (without other data), but undoubtedly the correct scientific name is S. amplus. Torres (1987b) says that Spiroceramus amplus holguinensis was discovered at Cerro Juan Paez, Sao Arriba. So this is a known locality because Guayacanes is near San Arribo. Also Torre & Bartsch (2943, unpublished) described specimens from Sao Arriba as Microceram-us (Spiroceramus) castanedoi, but they consequently spoke of S. amplus Aguayo, 1935 as the same species, which was validated by Clench (1967).

New Records for S. amplus

We found three populations, widely separated, in Gibara territory:

Cerro La Mula, Velasco. N 21° 03’ 27.7”; W 076° 20’ 02.8”, 12 miles from Holguin City and 2.2 miles from Velasco, August 10-16, 2004. Here empty shells were abundant, though only a few living specimens were found. Habitat is semideciduous forest, microhabitat under rocks in semi-shady area bordering and on calcareous hill.

Proximity of Cueva El Chombo, N 21° 05’ 34.2”; W 076° 16 ’ 38.6”, Sierra de Candelaria near Bocas town, 7.76 km E of Velasco, February 12, 2004. Similar environmental conditions and populaton abundance to the La Mula population. Habitat in semideciduous forest and microhabitat on large limestone rocks in semi-shady areas.

Cueva del Agua, Barrio Tumbadero, Sierra de Candelaria, Gibara. July 19, 2005. N 21° 04’ 36.4”; W 076° 13’ 48.1”, 20.1 km from Holguin. Population occurs on large limestone rocks covered by lianas (plants) and the population abundance like that at La Mula. Habitat semi-deciduous forest, microhabitat on large rocks in open areas.

2. Spiroceramus barbouri Angas, 1935

Historical Geographic Range & New Record

This species is known only from Curva or Cueva La Campana, Gibara, the type locality. (Clench, 1967; Espinosa & Ortea, 1999; Torre & Bartsch, 1943, unpublished). N 21° 05’ 56.2”; W 076° 08’ 55.1”

During a recent exploration (July 22,2005) at Cueva la Masanga, Rancho Bravo, Gibara (N 21° 05’ 53.6”; W 076° 09’ 43.4”) another population was discovered. Habitat semi-deciduous forest, microhabitat on limestone rocks. In both populations the felling of the forst has disturbed the habitat, in fact, these populations must be considered as threatened and need urgent protection because they are near the bortex of extinction.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We give many thanks to Marlies Franke for financial support of the explorations to the calcareous hills of Maniabon. We also express infinite gratitude to Dr. Ira Richling who provided data and photos on Urocoptidae used in this study. Thanks also to Alfredo Rams and Maria Osorio for permitting access to the collection in the Museum of Natural History “Carlos de la Torre” in Holguin.

REFERENCES

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