''Minaselates paradoxa'' is a species of air-breathing

land snail A land snail is any of the numerous species of snail that live on land, as opposed to the sea snails and freshwater snails. ''Land snail'' is the common name for terrestrial gastropod mollusks that have shells (those without shells are known as ...

, a terrestrial

pulmonate Pulmonata or pulmonates, is an informal group (previously an order, and before that a subclass) of snails and slugs characterized by the ability to breathe air, by virtue of having a pallial lung instead of a gill, or gills. The group includ ...

gastropod The gastropods (), commonly known as snails and slugs, belong to a large taxonomic class of invertebrates within the phylum Mollusca called Gastropoda (). This class comprises snails and slugs from saltwater, from freshwater, and from land. T ...

mollusc Mollusca is the second-largest phylum of invertebrate animals after the Arthropoda, the members of which are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 85,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized. The number of fossil species is esti ...

in the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...

Epiphragmophorinae Epiphragmophorinae is a subfamily (biology), subfamily of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial molluscs, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Xanthonychidae (according to the Taxonomy of the Gastropoda (Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005 ...

. MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Minaselates Cuezzo & Pena, 2017. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=991577 on 2021-02-25 It is the sole representative of the monospecific genus ''Minaselates'', described from the

Cavernas do Peruaçu National Park Cavernas do Peruaçu National Park ( pt, Parque Nacional Cavernas do Peruaçu) is a national park in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It is noted for its large limestone caves. Location The Cavernas do Peruaçu National Park, with an area of ...

in southeastern Brazil.

Taxonomy and phylogeny

''Minaselates'' is a monospecific genus erected to harbor ''Minaselates paradoxa'', and one of the seven genera currently included in the family

Epiphragmophoridae Epiphragmophorinae is a subfamily of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the family Xanthonychidae (according to the taxonomy of the Gastropoda by Bouchet & Rocroi, 2005). This family has no subfamilies. ...

. It is apparently closely related to the genus ''

Epiphragmophora ''Epiphragmophora'' is a genus of air-breathing land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusks in the subfamily Epiphragmophorinae. MolluscaBase eds. (2021). MolluscaBase. Epiphragmophora Doering, 1875. Accessed through: World Register of ...

'', but its shell can be distinguished by the

protoconch A protoconch (meaning first or earliest or original shell) is an embryonic or larval shell which occurs in some classes of molluscs, e.g., the initial chamber of an ammonite or the larval shell of a gastropod. In older texts it is also called ...

sculpture, outline of the apex, complex

teleoconch The gastropod shell is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, a kind of mollusc. The shell is an exoskeleton, which protects from predators, mechanical damage, and dehydration, but also serves for muscle attachment and calcium storage. Some ...

microsculpture and closed umbilicus fused with the shell wall. Regarding the soft parts, the presence of a long and thin kidney that extends more than half the length of the pulmonary cavity, as well as a flagellar caecum and a smooth jaw also distinguish ''Minaselates'' from ''Epiphragmophora''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q30682476 Xanthonychidae Gastropods described in 2017 Monotypic gastropod genera