COMPARATIVE ANATOMY OF 3 SPECIES OF EPIPHRAGMOPHORA DOERING, 1874 (PULMONATA, XANTHONYCHIDAE) FROM ARGENTINA

A comparative anatomical study of three species of the Neotropical gen us Epiphragmophora Doering, 1874, is carried out. The external morphol ogy of the animals, pallial, reproductive, digestive, and central nerv ous systems are described. New characters (penial muscular band, penia l internal structure esophageal crop internal structure, structure of central nervous system) that could lead to a better definition of the group are described for the first time. The genital system: however, s eems to offer more characters with phylogenetic potential than any oth er system. Based on this study, it was found that: (a) among the three species considered, E. argentina and E. tucumanensis are morphologica lly closer, E. hieronymi being different in characters of the central nervous system, esophageal crop, and terminal genitalia; (b) a previou sly undescribed structure, termed here ''penial muscular band'' is pre sent in the three species considered and also present in E. variegata, E. trenquellonis, and E. escoipensis. This character could represent the first synapomorphy described for tile genus. Comparisons of the an atomical data on the three species studied with literature revealed th at published information is scarce or misleading and that the genus is poorly defined.