The Land Snail Genus Epirobia and Allied Genera in México and Central America, with the Description of a New Family, the Epirobiidae (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Urocoptoidea)

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The species-level taxonomy of three closely related urocoptoid land snails, Epirobia Strebel & Pfeiffer 1880, Propilsbrya Bartsch 1906, and Pectinistemma Rehder 1940, are reviewed and a new family is erected for them. Gyrocion Pilsbry 1904 and Prionoloplax Pilsbry 1953 may also belong in this new family, but remain unknown anatomically. New species named in this work are Epirobia subsulca n. sp., Epirobia brevior n. sp., Epirobia longior n. sp., Epirobia interupta n. sp., Epirobia adusta n. sp., Pectinistemma roesslingi n. sp., Pectinistemma gracilidens n. sp., and Pectinistemma ceramicum n. sp. Epirobia alternans Thompson 1976 is elevated from subspecific status within Epirobia swiftiana (Crosse 1863) to full species rank. Epirobiidae new family is recognized as distinct from other urocoptoid families by characteristics of the shell, the reproductive system, the radula, and the genome. Morphology and molecular data support the monophyly of the Epirobiidae and their independence from other groups of urocoptoid gastropods. These data also support the independence and monophyly of the Holospiridae Pilsbry 1946 and the Eucalodiidae Crosse & Fischer 1868.

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