Messageria Bavay & Dautzenberg 1904

Genus Messageria Bavay & Dautzenberg, 1904 (Fig. 13D–F) Helicomorpha (Messageria) Bavay and Dautzenberg, 1904: 229. Helicomorpha (Messageria) —Wenz, 1938 (1938–1944): 479. Messageria — Chen and Lin, 2021: 129. Tope species: Helicomorpha (Messageria) scalarioides Bavay & Dautzenberg, 1904, by original designation. Content: Messageria scalarioides (Bavay & Dautzenberg, 1904) (Fig. 13D–F) and Messageria sinica Z.-Y. Chen & L.-W. Lin, 2021. Distribution: Northern Vietnam and Guangxi (China). Remarks: Two syntypes (an adult and a subadult one) of Helicomorpha scalarioides were examined. One of them is an adult shell, which is hereby selected to be the lectotype (MNHN-IM-2000-32414; fig. 1 in Chen and Lin 2021). In oblique apertural view, several openings on the inner tube are visible, resembling those described in Laotia. In the subadult paralectotype (MNHN-IM-2000-32415; see Fig. 13E, F), the openings start immediately before the peristome. In the adult lectotype, the openings start more distantly from the peristome. Messageria was described as a subgenus of the diplommatinid Helicomorpha Möllendorff, 1890 (type species: Helicomorpha turricula Möllendorff, 1890 by original designation). Currently, nine species of Helicomorpha inhabit the Philippines (Kobelt 1902). Chen and Lin (2021) elevated Messageria to the genus level and transferred it to the Alycaeidae owing to features of the shell and operculum shared with Laotia. We received photographs of the lectotype of Helicomorpha turricula (Supporting Information, Fig. S6A) and borrowed four species from the MNCN (Helicomorpha pilula Quadras & Möllendorff, 1896: Sierra Bullones, isla de Bohol, Filipinas, coll. Azpeitia 2760, MNCN 28808/2, see Supporting Information, Fig. S6B–D; Helicomorpha quadrasi Möllendorff, 1893: Malitbog, isla de Leyte, Filipinas, coll. Azpeitia, 2761, MNCN 28809/2; Helicomorpha turricula, Filipinas, Azpeitia, 2762, MNCN 28812/2; and Helicomorpha depressa Möllendorff, 1893: Cantanduanes, isla Cantanduanes, Filipinas, coll. Azpeitia, 2798, MNCN 28801/2). Te borrowed shells (Supporting Information, Fig. S6B–D) showed no signs of an inner tube or separate sutural chambers, which are visible in Messageria scalarioides and Laotia cf. christahemmenae. Terefore, Helicomorpha is confirmed to belong to the family Diplommatinidae, whereas it does not belong to the subfamily Laotiinae proposed for Laotia and Messageria, both possessing sutural chambers.