THE TAXONOMIC STATUS OF XEROAMANDA-MONTEROSATO, 1892 (PULMONATA, HYGROMIIDAE)

The status of Xeroamanda Monterosato, 1892, is revised. Anatomical stu dy showed that the type species of this nominal genus, Helix amanda Ro ssmassler, 1838, is characterized by a structure of the distal genital ia coinciding with that of the subfamily Hygromiinae sensu Schileyko ( dart sac complex with 0 + 2 stylophores) and more precisely with the g roup of genera with 0 + 2 stylophores and right ommatophore retractor independent of the genitalia (Cernuella, Xerosecta, Polloneriella, Mic roxeromagna, Xeromunda). The wide dart sac complex fused to the walls of the vagina for a long tract and the penis joining the distal vagina level with the stylophores enables it to be included in Cernuella. Th e latter has two subgenera: Cernuella s. sir. (penial papilla with thr ee basal frenula, two tufts of digitiform glands on opposite sides of vagina, proximal vagina very short or absent, proximal duct of bursa c opulatrix flared), and Xerocincta (penial papilla without frenula, dig itiform glands around the vagina, proximal vagina long, proximal duct of bursa copulatrix not flared). Xeroamanda (penial papilla with three basal frenula, digitiform glands around the vagina, proximal vagina l ong, proximal duct of bursa copulatrix not flared) is intermediate bet ween Cernuella s. sir. and Xerocincta and forms a third distinct subge nus of Cemuella. At present, C. (Xeroamanda) includes two species, bot h endemic to the Sicilian area: the western Sicilian C. amanda (Rossma ssler, 1838) and the Sicilian-Maltese C. caruanae (Kobelt, 1888).