The chromosomes of Macrochlamys tugurium (Benson, 1852) from Nepal (Stylommatophora, Sigmurethra: Ariophantidae)

In the material brought home by the 1972 Khumbu Himal Expedition of the Netherlands Centre for Alpine Biological Research, Utrecht, there was a series of living specimens of the snail, Macrochlamys (Macrochlamys) tugurium (Benson), collected in early October in the garden of the Nepal Research Center, Kathmandu. Next to the arionid, Anadenus giganteus Heynemann, this is by far the commonest land gastropod in the surroundings of Kathmandu, Nepal. From early spring to late autumn it is found, on humid days, in large numbers on brick walls and rocks. Since very little is known on the cytotaxonomy of the ariophantid snails (for a review cf. Patterson, 1969) and the karyotypic analysis of the only other member of the genus hitherto studied does not seem very persuasive (cf. Natarajan, 1960) we believe it worth while to record our observations.