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This checklist reports 47 species of Psocoptera from 15 families and three suborders from Georgia, of which 31 species are recorded for the first time, increasing the known fauna of the country by more than 65%. Of these, 37 species have been barcoded, representing 210 Barcode Identification Numbers (BINs). An additional 14 species are expected to occur in Georgia but remain undiscovered, meaning that only ≈ 77% of the fauna is currently documented. Barcodes, comments on distributions, and images of voucher specimens are given followed by a map of the sampling sites.

In Georgia, currently, 30 species of bats are recorded from four families and eleven genera. Although the oldest record of bats is from 1835 and continues until today, there are no comprehensive data available for bat diversity and distribution in Georgia. Thus, we aimed to fill that gap and make complete, expertly curated literature and our own published data openly available (through GBIF) for researchers and conservationists.In this publication, out of 1987 records, 1243 (62.4%) are new and unpublished data. Generally, out of all records, 34% are literature and museum data and 66% are data collected by us. Additionally, for the first time in the history of the study of bats in Georgia, we initiated surveys in forested areas of the country.

The South Caucasus Region and Georgia, in particular, is a biodiversity hotspot and characterised by high diversity of landscapes and ecosystems, as well as high levels of endemism. At the same time, diversity of freshwater organisms in the region remains poorly studied, including fishes. The freshwater fish fauna of the South Caucasus Region consists of 119 fish species, of which 13 species belong to the order Gobiiformes. It should be noted that gobies are amongst the poorly studied taxa in Georgia and probably unknown/undescribed species still living in the Georgian freshwater ecosystems which requires further research.Ponticola alasanicus, a new species is described from the Alazani River, western Caspian Sea Basin, Georgia. It is distinguished from its congeners in the Caspian and Black Sea Basins by having the following features: dorsal fin with VI-VII spines and 15½-16½ branched rays, anal fin with 10½-12½ branched rays; lateral line with 48-55 scales; laterally compressed body with dark brown and black blotches - scales ctenoid; first and second dorsal fins almost touching with dorsal fins bases; head large, depressed, wider than deep, its length approaches almost 3.4th of standard length; nape scaled completely; cycloid scales cover upper part of opercle, cheeks noticeably swollen; snout longer than eye, eye diameter 4.5 times its head length; lower jaw slightly protruding; upper lip is uniform; pelvic disc short, elongated and flat, not reaching the anus; the pectoral fins extends vertically through first branched dorsal fin; caudal fin rounded. Ponticola alasanicus sp. n. belongs to P. syrman group and it is separated by a minimum Kimura 2-parameter distance of 3.5, 3.6 and 4.8% from P. syrman, P. iranicus and P. patimari, respectively.

Acicula moussoni O. Boettger, 1879 (Figs. 5B–F, 6, 10) Acicula moussoni Boettger, 1879: 41, pl. 1 fig. 7. Type locality: “am Kazbek” [may be erroneous, see under "Selection of a neotype "]. Acicula moussoni — Boettger 1880a: 148.; Boeters et al. 1989: 72, fig. 55 (partim; Fig. 72 is A. telum n. sp.); Kantor & Sysoev 2005: 41; Sysoev & Schileyko 2009: 11, 249, fig. 2A; Egorov & Greíe 2003: 15, map 7; Neiber et al. 2021: 27, fig. 5. Acicula limbata — Boeters et al. 1989: 56, Fig. 56 (partim, treats the Czech Miocene species conspecific with A. moussoni); Egorov & Greíe 2003: 17, fig. 9, map 6; Kantor & Sysoev 2005: 41; Sysoev & Schileyko 2009: 11, text-fig. 1; Pokryszko et al. 2011: appendix 3; Mumladze et al. 2017: appendix S5. Acicula (Acme) moussoni — Boettger 1880b: 159. Acme moussoni — Clessin 1881: 134; Boettger 1883: 191; Kobelt 1894 in 1894-96: 12, pl. 183 fig. 1153; Rosen 1905: 54; Rosen 1911: 132; Kalitina 1954: 11; Kalitina 1958: 172; Lezhawa 1966: 9; Javelidze 1972: 18, fig. 7; Lezhawa 1973: 22. Pupula moussoni — Hesse 1920: 88. Acicula (Acicula) moussoni — Zilch 1976 b: 127, pl. 12 fig. 14; Kijashko 2000: 21. Material examined. GEORGIA: Ud. S. S. R.: Kaukasus, "Radscha" (Racha mountains), leg. H. Leder, 1889 (SMF 23858 /2, photos of a shell were received from Frank Walther); Georgian Military Road, 2300 m a.s.l., Cross (Jvari) pass, Narzani fountain (approximate GPS coordinates: 42°31.900′N, 44°28.340′E), leg. L. Németh, 6–7 July 1988, 4 broken shells (LN 10191); Samegrelo reg., Chkvaleri vicinity, Kvatsalara, small cave spring just left side of the road, to Intsira waterfall, 42°43.275′N, 42°5.498′E (locality ode: F1968), leg. J. Grego & M. Szekeres, 19 October, 2021, 4 broken shells, (coll. JG); Imereti reg., Satsiskvilo vicinity, Turchismta, concrete wall and natural outlets among limestone beds at right side of path from Satsiskvilo to Okatse Spring (locality code: 2021/26), 42°29.821′N, 42°32.827′E, leg. J. Grego & M. Szekeres, 15 October, 2021, 1 broken shell (coll. JG); Imereti reg., Kinchkhaperdi vicinity, Okatse, spring at left bank of Satsiskvilo river canyon, leakage among larger stones, 42°31.102′N, 42°33.437′E (locality code: F1940), leg. J. Grego & M. Szekeres, 15 October, 2021, 1 specimen in ethanol, neotype (hereby designated), H: 2.48 mm, D: 0.95 mm (ISU TM-T004 -N); Abkhazia, Iupshara gorge (approximate GPS coordinates 43°26.470′N, 40°32.085′E), leg. L. Németh, 14 June 1988 (LN 10782); Imereti reg., Sairme gorge, 1818 m a.s.l., 41°51.960′N, 42°46.840′E, (locality code: sp7s2), leg. L. Mumladze, 11 October 2013, 2 subadult shells + 1 juvenile shell (ISU); Imereti reg., Sairme gorge, 1925 m a.s.l., 41°51.386′N, 42°47.406′E (locality code: sp8s3), leg. L. Mumladze, 11 October 2013, 1 shell (ISU); Kakheti reg., Lagodekhi Protected Areas, subalpine forest edge, 2347 m a.s.l., 41°52.445′N, 46°22.726′E, (locality code: lp10s1), leg. L. Mumladze, 3 June 2013, 1 shell (ISU); Abkhazia, valley of the Bzipi and Iupshara, road leading to Lake Ritsa, double tunnel (approximate GPS coordinates: 43°23.092′N, 40°27.922′E), leg. L. Németh, 14 June 1988 (LN 10801); Imereti reg., Sairme gorge, subalpine forest edge, 2210 m a.s.l., 41°50.812′N, 42°48.447′E (locality code: sp9s3), leg. L. Mumladze, 11 October 2013, 1 corroded shell (ISU); Samegrelo Reg., Mukhuri vicinity, road to Lugela, small karst spring well just at left side of road from Mukhuri to Lugela, behind Shurubumu springs, 42°38.985′N 42°12.300′E (locality code: 2021/28x), leg. J. Grego & M. Szekeres, 17 October, 2021, 1 adult specimen in ethanol + 1 adult + 2 juvenile dry shells (coll. JG); Mtskheta-Tianeti reg., Upper Iori River valley, 1470 m a.s.l., 42°18.632′N, 45°7.372′E, (locality code: Iori 1), leg. L. Mumladze, 1 August 2010, 2 shells (ISU); Kakheti reg., Lagodekhi Protected Areas, 1815 m a.s.l., 41°51.505′N, 46°20.477′E (locality code: lp7s3), leg. L. Mumladze, 3 June 2013, 2 shells (ISU); Kakheti reg., Lagodekhi Protected Areas, 1215 m a.s.l., 41°50.950′N, 46°19.475′E, (locality code: lp4s2), leg. L. Mumladze, 3 June, 2013, 5 shells (3 completely adults) (ISU); Kakheti reg., Lagodekhi Protected Areas, 803 m a.s.l., 41°51.476′N, 46°18.628′E (locality code: lp2s3), leg. L. Mumladze, 3 June 2013, 4 shells (ISU); Guria reg., Ozurgeti, anthropogenic site, 57 m a.s.l., 41°56.096′N, 41°59.258′E (locality code: E25D5P1), leg. L. Mumladze, 9 September 2018, 1 shell in ethanol (ISU); Kakheti reg., Lagodekhi Protected Areas, 1297 m a.s.l., 41°50.938′N, 46°19.883′E (locality code: lm007), leg. L. Mumladze, 20 August 2010, 2 subadult, corroded shells + 4 juveniles (ISU). RUSSIA, vicinity of Sochi, valley of the Khosta river, at Rassvet village, flotsam of Khosta, 43°32.856′N, 39°52.892′E, leg. L. Németh, 20 June 1988 (LN 10651); Russia, vicinity of Sochi, valley of the Khosta river, at Rassvet village, flotsam of Khosta, 43°32.856′N, 39°52.892′E, leg. L. Németh, 20 June 1988 (LN 10680); Orjonikidze (= Vladikavkas), beginning of Georgian Military Road, leg. L. Németh, 26 July 1988 (LN 7767). Number of grooves on last whorl. 4–14, average: 8.25 (SD=+/-2.6) (n = 36). Measurements (in mm). H: 1.75–3.06, average: 2.44, (SD=+/-0.36); D: 0.66–1.26, average: 0.94 (SD=+/- 0.14); D/H: 0.34–0.43, average: 0.39 (SD=+/-0.02) (n = 33). Differential diagnosis. See under A. parcelineata and A. telum n. sp. Intraspecific variability. The populations of this species show some variability in terms of shell size and groove density. A few shells (e.g. Figs. 5B, 6F) possess a thin neck bulge, and in some cases (e.g. Fig. 6B) it is difficult to decide whether a neck bulge is present or the visible slender swelling is a result of a groove situated close to the peristome. Furthermore, some shells of a single population may exhibit a thin neck bulge, while others do not. Furthermore, it seems that while in smaller A. moussoni shells the individual grooves on the last whorl (above the aperture) are of comparable depth and are more or less regularly arranged (e.g. Figs. 5F, 6E, F), in larger shells some of the grooves are weaker than others and the spaces between them are more variable (e.g. Figs. 6B–D). Distribution. Acicula moussoni is known from the entire range of the Caucasus Mountains (Fig. 7). Remarks. This species was called A. limbata by Boeters et al. (1989) and since. We examined shells of the real Acicula limbata from the Early Miocene of the Czech Republic (NHMW 2013/0572/0004, Most Basin, Bohemia, Burdigalian; see Harzhauser et al. 2014) and concluded that besides the slightly thicker peristome and the more rounded aperture (i.e. the parietal region is more curved than in the Caucasian shells), the fossil shells do not differ from the Caucasian extant species. There are several examples (e.g. Domokos et al. 2018, but even in Aciculidae, see Gittenberger 1990) when Miocene and extant distributions of the same species are different, but in those cases the fossil and current distributions are not very disjunct with an enormous geographic gap between them. In the present case, due to the huge geographic distance between Czechia and the Caucasus Mountains and the gap of records between the two areas, it is highly unlikely that a Central European Early Miocene species would be identical with an extant species restricted to the Caucasus Region. Moreover, finding only a few morphological differences is not surprising in such a character-poor group. Therefore, we use the name Acicula moussoni for the Caucasian extant species and restrict the name A. limbata for the Miocene fossil in Czechia. A sample in the Senckenberg Museum (SMF 23858) was labelled as " Acicula (Acicula) zilchi n. sp., holotype + paratype, det. Subai, 1978". It is probable that Péter Subai intended to describe it as a new species, but never did so. Selection of a neotype. Boettger (1879) described A. moussoni based on two subadult specimens from "Kasbek" (Mt. Kazbek). Later, he stated that his material from Mt. Kazbek was mixed with material from the Surami mountain range. Thus, the occurrence of several species at Mt. Kazbek has to be confirmed (Boettger 1880a). Unfortunately, specimens from Mt. Kazbek or from “Suram” were not found by Frank Walther in the SMF, where Boettger's collection is housed (Dance 1986). We note that Boettger determined the material for Leder, who later sold the shells to collectors, however, Boettger usually kept material for himself (Frank Walther, pers. comm.). The designations of lectotypes from “Manglis” by Zilch (1976) and “Martkopi” by Boeters et al. (1989) are invalid because these were certainly not part of the type series. Besides the differing locality data, the measurements of the specimens, especially that of the lectotype designated by Zilch (1976), do not fit the shell size mentioned in the original description. Boeters et al. (1989: 74) considered the lectotype designated by them a syntype because “Martkopi” might be attributed to the Kazbek massif. However, Martqopi is separated from Mt. Kazbek by the main chain of the Greater Caucasus. The two alleged syntypes are probably the vouchers of Boettger (1880a) who mentioned two newly collected specimens from “Martkopi” in the year after the description of A. moussoni. The question is which of the currently recognized Caucasian species was originally described as A. moussoni: was it the bullet-shaped species (A. telum n. sp.) or one of the 'normal' species (A. moussoni or A. parcelineata in the sense of this paper)? The description of Boettger (1879) is not sufficient to decide which of the two species he was referring to. The following arguments were considered: (1) The lithograph in the original description (Boettger, 1879: 41, pl. 1 fig. 7) is more similar to the bullet-shaped species in shell shape, but the aperture shape is more similar to that of the 'normal' species. (2) The shell on the lithograph has relatively widely-spaced grooves on the penultimate whorl, which is more similar to the 'normal' species (especially A. parcelineata), whereas A. telum n. sp. usually has more densely arranged grooves. (3) Clessin, who was more skilled with Acicula and had a large collection, compared A. moussoni with “native” (i.e. German) A. lineata. At that time, A. lineata and A. fusca were not separated, and it was not known before Steusloff (1939) that A. fusca was native to Germany. Boettger (1879) cited Clessin that the upper whorls of A. moussoni are more pointed and more conical and the whorls increase less rapidly. These characters fit much better to the 'normal' species than to the bullet-shaped new species. (4) Later, Boettger (1880a) cited specimens that from the measurements (H: 2 7 / 8 mm) belonged surely not to the bullet-shaped species (which is 1.89–2.41 mm in shell height), but Boettger noted no difference to A. moussoni (H: 2 mm according to the original description). Clessin had probably seen one or both type species of A. moussoni and nevertheless assigned a specimen of 3 mm to it (Clessin 1881). (5) Zoogeographical considerations: Currently it seems that the bullet-shaped species is restricted to the northern part of the Caucasus, with the southern-most locality being the Tskhenistskali valley. In contrast, all historical material of A. moussoni were collected much more in the south (Mt. Kazbek, Surami, Martkopi), from where no A. telum n. sp. but only the 'normal' species were found. This study revealed moreover that Boeters et al. (1989) united two Caucasian species (i.e., A. moussoni and A. telum n. sp. in this paper's sense) under the name Acicula moussoni. Namely, figure 55 of Boeters et al. (1989) shows a shell of A. moussoni, whereas fig. 72 shows an undescribed species here described as A. telum n. sp. Furthermore, there is an additional Caucasian species (herein called Acicula parcelineata), which cannot be easily distinguished from A. moussoni. Consequently, there is an exceptional need for correction of the nomenclatural problem of Caucasian Acicula by designating a neotype for A. moussoni. The neotype designated herein has a spindle shaped shell and a prosocline aperture, which distinguishes it from all A. telum n. sp. specimens. The darker colour of the neotype, the spindle-shape instead of cylindrical shell, and more numerous grooves distinguishes it from A. parcelineata shells. The neotype was collected ca. 160 km southeast from the type locality (Mt. Kazbek) and ca. 95 km from the Surami range (which may be the real locality at which the syntypes of A. moussoni were collected, see Boettger 1880a). However, these geographic distances are rather small compared to the extent of the distribution of A. moussoni (up to ca. 560 km across its distribution range). The reason why no shells collected closer to the type locality of the Surami range were selected as neotype is that all those shells were ca. 3 mm, whereas the original description mentions 2 mm only., Published as part of Páll-Gergely, Barna, Mumladze, Levan, Grego, Jozef & Giokas, Sinos, 2023, The genus Acicula W. Hartmann, 1821 in the Caucasus (Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda: Aciculidae), pp. 451-476 in Zootaxa 5239 (4) on pages 457-461, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5239.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7635110, {"references":["Boettger, O. (1879) Kaukasische Mollusken, gesammelt von Herrn Hans Leder in Paskau. Jahrbucher der Deutschen Malakozoologischen Gesellschaft, 6 (1), 1 - 42, pl. 1.","Boettger, O. (1880 a) Kaukasische Mollusken gesammelt von Herrn Hans Leder, z. Z. in Tiflis. Jahrbucher der Deutschen Malakozoologischen Gesellschaft, 7 (2), 109 - 150, pl. 4.","Boeters, H. D., Gittenberger, E. & Subai, P. (1989) Die Aciculidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda Prosobranchia). Zoologische Verhandelingen, 252, 1 - 234.","Kantor, Y. I. & Sysoev, A. V. (2005) [Catalogue of molluscs of Russia and adjacent countries]. KMK Scientific Press, Moskva, 627 pp.","Sysoev, A. V. & Schileyko, A. A. (2009) Land snails and slugs of Russia and adjacent countries. Pensoft Series Faunistica No 87. Pensoft, Sofia / Moskva, 312 pp., 142 pls. [June]","Egorov, R. V. & Greie, C. (2003) Treasure of Russian Shells. Vol. 6. Terrestrial Pectinibranchia: Helicinidae, Cyclophoridae, Diplommatinidae, Cochlostomatidae, Aciculidae, Tateidae, Terrestribythinellidae, Pomatiidae. Colus-Doverie, Moscow, 43 pp.","Neiber, M. T., Bikashvili, A., Bananashvili, G., Shubashishvili, A., Japoshvili, B., Walther, F. & Mumladze, L. (2021) Continental molluscs collected during the second Georgian-German BioBlitz 2019 in Stepantsminda, Georgia. Mitteilungen der Deutschen Malakozoologischen Gesellschaft, 104, 23 - 36.","Pokryszko, B. M., Cameron, R. A. D., Mumladze, L. & Tarkhnishvili, D. (2011) Forest snail faunas from Georgian Transcaucasia: patterns of diversity in a Pleistocene refugium. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 102, 239 - 250. https: // doi. org / 10.1111 / j. 1095 - 8312.2010.01575. x","Mumladze, L., Asanidze, Z., Walther, F. & Hausdorf, B. (2017) Beyond elevation: testing the climatic variability hypothesis vs. Rapoport's rule in vascular plant and snail species in the Caucasus. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 121, 753 - 763. https: // doi. org / 10.1093 / biolinnean / blx 027","Boettger, O. (1880 b) Armenische und transkaukasische Mollusken, aus einer Sendung des Hrn. Dr. G. Sievers in Tiflis. Jahrbucher der Deutschen Malakozoologischen Gesellschaft, 7 (2), 151 - 161, pl. 5.","Clessin, S. (1881) Beitrag zur Kenntniss der Molluskenfauna des Caucasus. Malakozoologische Blatter, Neue Folge, 3, 129 - 135.","Boettger, O. (1883) Siebentes Verzeichniss von Mollusken der Kaukasuslander nach Sendungen des Hrn. Hans Leder, z. Z. in Helenendorf bei Elisabetpol (Transkaukasien). Jahrbucher der Deutschen Malakozoologischen Gesellschaft, 10, 135 - 200, pls. 4 - 7.","Kobelt, W. (1894 - 1896) Iconographie der Land- & Susswasser-Mollusken mit vorzuglicher Berucksichtigung der europaischen noch nicht abgebildeten Arten. Neue Folge. 7. Bd. C. W. Kreidel's Verlag, Wiesbaden. [unknown pagination]","Rosen, B. O. von (1905) Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Molluskenfauna des Kaukasus. Nachrichtsblatt der Deutschen Malakozoologischen Gesellschaft, 37 (2), 49 - 64.","Rosen, B. O. von (1911) Die Mollusken Ciskaukasiens und speciell des Kuban-Gebietes. Annuaire du Musee Zoologique de l'Academie Imperiale des Sciences de St. - Petersbourg, 16, 86 - 142, pls. 2 + 3.","Kalitina, Z. I. (1954) K izucheniyu nazemnykh mollyuskov tsentralnogo Kavkaza i vostochnogo Predkavkazya (Fauna, ekologiya i rol v rasprostranenii diklotselioza) [To the knowledge of the terrestrial molluscs of central and eastern Ciscaucasia (Fauna, ecology and role in disseminating dicroceliasis)]. Akademiya nauk SSSR, Zoologicheskiy institut, Leningrad. [unknown pagination]","Kalitina, Z. I. (1958) K izucheniyu zonalnogo raspredeleniya nazemnykh mollyuskov Severnykh sklonov Tsentralnogo Kavkaza i Vostochnogo Predkavkasya. Zdravookhranenie i meditsina v Severnoy Osetii, 7 (1), 157 - 181.","Lezhawa, G. I. (1966) Nazemnie mollyuski [Terrestrial mollusca]. Fauna bespozvonochnyh Trialetskogo khrebta [Invertebrate fauna of the Trialeti mountains], 1966, 9 - 20.","Javelidze, G. (1972) Sakartvelos khmeletis moluskebis sarkvevI [Identification keys for Georgian Terrestrial Molluscs]. Tbilisi, Tbilisis Universit'et'is. [142 pp. in Georgian]","Lezhawa, G. I. (1973) Khmeletis moluskebi [Terrestrial molluscs]. Sakartvelos tskhovelta samkaro IV. Tbilisi, Metsniereba. [pp. 20 - 68, in Georgian]","Hesse, P. (1920) Einige Bemerkungen uber die Familie Acmidae nebst Verzeichnis der Arten. Archiv fur Molluskenkunde, 52 (2), 78 - 89.","Zilch, A. (1976) Die Typen und Typoide des Natur-Museums Senckenberg, 56: Mollusca: Aciculidae. Archiv fur Molluskenkunde, 107 (1 / 3), 123 - 136.","Kijashko, P. V. (2000) Nazemnye mollyuski Lagonakskogo nagorya (Severo-zapadnyy Kavkaz) [On the Molluscs of Lagonaki mountains (Northwestern Caucasus)]. Avtoreferat, St. - Petersburg. [unknown pagination, in Russian]","Reuss, A. E. (1861) Die fossilen Mollusken der tertiaren Susswasserkalke Bohmens. Sitzungsberichte der mathematischnaturwissenschaftlichen Classe der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 42, 55 - 85.","Harzhauser, M., Neubauer, T. A., Georgopoulou, E. & Harl, J. (2014) The Early Miocene (Burdigalian) mollusc fauna of the North Bohemian Lake (Most Basin). Bulletin of Geosciences, 89 (4), 819 - 908, 18 figs., 1 table. https: // doi. org / 10.3140 / bull. geosci. 1503","Domokos, T., Deli, T., Varga, A., Flaviu-Crisan, H., Balashov, I., Gheoca, V., Biatov, A., Szappanos, B. & Pall-Gergely, B. (2018) Distribution of Drobacia banatica (Rossmassler, 1838) over time and space (Gastropoda: Stylommatophora: Helicidae). Brukenthal Acta Musei, 13 (3), 459 - 484.","Gittenberger, E. (1990) Frustrating facts about area cladistics and species individuality. Bijdragen tot de dierkunde, 60 (3 - 4), 151 - 154.","Clessin, S. (1911) Neue Acme - Arten. Nachrichtsblatt der Deutschen Malakozoologischen Gesellschaft, 43 (4), 165 - 167.","Dance, S. P. (1986) A History of Shell Collecting. E. J. Brill, Leiden, 265 pp.","Steusloff, U. (1939) Beachtenswerte Funde am Niederrhein und im Sauerlande. Archiv fur Molluskenkunde, 71, 201 - 209."]}

Acicula telum Páll-Gergely, n. sp. (Figs. 9, 10) Acicula moussoni — Boeters et al. 1989: 72, fig. 72 (partim) Type material. Holotype: RUSSIA, Western Caucasus, vicinity of Sochi, valley of the Khosta river, at Rassvet village, flotsam of Khosta, 43°32.856′N, 39°52.892′E, leg. L. Németh, 20 June 1988, H = 2.36 mm, D = 0.93 mm (SMF 366182). Paratypes: RUSSIA, same data as for holotype, 46 adult shells (LN 10681); Western Caucasus, valley of River Mzimta towards Krasnaya Polyana, 26/33. km, in the "gorge" (approximate GPS coordinates: 43°31.267′N, 39°59.903′E), leg. L. Németh, 18 June 1988, 1 adult shell (LN 10564); Western Caucasus, West Dagomisi River, vicinity of Nor Luis village, ca. 10 km (approximate GPS coordinates: 43°42.713′N, 39°40.003′E), river debris, leg. L. Németh, 19 June 1988, 5 shells (LN 10697). GEORGIA, Tskhenistskali valley after Tsageri, between iron and stone bridge (approximate GPS coordinates: 42°39.411′N, 42°46.280′E), leg. L. Németh, 11 June 1988, 5 shells (LN 10357); Abkhazia, Novij Afon, above the tunnel near the railway station, 43°5.518′N, 40°48.938′E, leg. L. Németh, 16 June 1988, 10 shells (LN 10523). Additional material examined. RUSSIA, s ame data as for holotype, LN 10681/ 91 juvenile /broken shells; Western Caucasus, valley of River Mzimta towards Krasnaya Polyana, 26/37. km (from Aldler), side stream valley (approximate GPS coordinates: 43°38.001′N, 40°5.062′E), leg. L. Németh, 18 June 1988, 1 subadult shell (identification questionable) (LN 10571); Western Caucasus, valley of River Mzimta towards Krasnaya Polyana, 26/33. km, in the "gorge" (approximate GPS coordinates: 43°31.267′N, 39°59.903′E), leg. L. Németh, 18 June 1988, 3 broken shells (identification questionable) (LN 10564). Diagnosis. Among Caucasian Acicula, A. telum n. sp. is uniquely characterized by the bullet shaped, relatively wide shell (D/H ratio: 0.37–0.45, average: 0.42), an aperture profile that is parallel to the shell axis or slightly opisthocline, and the acutely angled parieto-palatal apertural transition. Description. Shell small, bullet- or torpedo-shaped with blunt apex, sides curved, shell widest at its base, whorls slightly bulging. Body whorl rounded, and its periphery rounded to somewhat flat-sided from basal direction (visible in standard apertural view). Fresh shells glossy, yellowish to dark brown or reddish, sutural ridge clearly visible, starting from beginning of teleoconch, at first does not differ from shell colour, but gradually becomes darker, on last 2–3 whorls slightly darker than basic shell colour. Apex smooth, boundary of protoconch and teleoconch hardly visible, whorls with irregularly arranged, dense longitudinal furrows, penultimate whorl above aperture with 8–14 furrows in apertural view (variable between samples), grooves in most cases abruptly become denser on ca. last quarter whorl. Whorls 4.5–6, body whorl occupies (i.e., H/BWH) ca. 46–54 % of the total height. Aperture parallel with the shell axis or very slightly opisthocline, aperture profile nearly straight or slightly curved. Neck bulge absent. Aperture teardrop-shaped, parieto-palatal angle conspicuously pointed, peristome slightly thickened, its basal and columellar side reflected, partly covers periomphalum. Parietal callus present but weak even in mature shells, transparent and matte in fresh shells, white in corroded shells. Angularis absent. Umbilical area densely grooved due to the increased density of grooves on the last quarter whorl. Number of grooves on last whorl. 7–16, average: 11.16 (SD=+/-2.5) (n = 19). Measurements (in mm). H = 1.89–2.41, average: 2.17 (SD=+/-0.18); D = 0.78–1.02, average: 0.91 (SD=+/- 0.7); D/H: 0.37–0.45, average: 0.42 (SD=+/-0.02) (n = 16). Intraspecific variability. The available populations of this new species show some variability in terms of shell size and groove density (see Table 1). Differential diagnosis. Acicula telum n. sp. is readily distinguishable from other Caucasian congeners due to its widely-based, bullet-shaped shell. Furthermore, the aperture profile of this species is straight, parallel to the shell axis or slightly opisthocline in lateral view, whereas it is prosocline in A. moussoni and A. parcelineata. Lastly, the aperture of A. telum n. sp. shape is also somewhat different from that of the other two species. Namely, the parietal and palatal walls meet under a smaller angle resulting in a more pointed upper part of the aperture. Etymology. The specific epithet (bullet in Latin) refers to the shell shape of the new species. It is a noun in apposition. Distribution. Acicula telum n. sp. is known from the northern part of the Caucasus Mountains (Fig. 7). Remarks. This species is clearly different from the other large Caucasian species (A. moussoni) due to the stable, diagnostic shell characters, and the fact that A. moussoni and A. telum n. sp. were collected syntopically at two sites., Published as part of Páll-Gergely, Barna, Mumladze, Levan, Grego, Jozef & Giokas, Sinos, 2023, The genus Acicula W. Hartmann, 1821 in the Caucasus (Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda: Aciculidae), pp. 451-476 in Zootaxa 5239 (4) on pages 463-466, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5239.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7635110, {"references":["Boeters, H. D., Gittenberger, E. & Subai, P. (1989) Die Aciculidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda Prosobranchia). Zoologische Verhandelingen, 252, 1 - 234.","Reuss, A. E. (1861) Die fossilen Mollusken der tertiaren Susswasserkalke Bohmens. Sitzungsberichte der mathematischnaturwissenschaftlichen Classe der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 42, 55 - 85.","Boettger, O. (1879) Kaukasische Mollusken, gesammelt von Herrn Hans Leder in Paskau. Jahrbucher der Deutschen Malakozoologischen Gesellschaft, 6 (1), 1 - 42, pl. 1.","Clessin, S. (1911) Neue Acme - Arten. Nachrichtsblatt der Deutschen Malakozoologischen Gesellschaft, 43 (4), 165 - 167."]}

Acicula parcelineata (Clessin, 1911) (Figs. 8, 10) Acme parcelineata Clessin, 1911: 165. Acicula bakanense Steklov, 1966: 122, pl. 1, fig. 11. Acicula parcelineata — Boeters et al. 1989: 78, figs 77, 78. Diagnosis. A small (H: 2–2.4 mm), mostly conical Acicula species with few and irregularly arranged longitudinal grooves and without neck bulge. Number of grooves on last whorl. 3–11, average: 5.56 (SD=+/-1.6) (n = 34). Measurements (in mm). H: 1.62–2.68, average: 2.04 (SD=+/-0.32); D: 0.64–0.91, average: 0.76 (SD=+/- 0.09); D/H: 0.32–0.41, average: 0.38 (SD=+/-0.02) (n = 34). Material examined. GEORGIA, Samegrelo Reg., Mukhuri vicinity, road to Lugela, small karst spring well just at left side of road from Mukhuri to Lugela, behind Shurubumu springs, 42°38.985′N 42°12.300′E (locality code: 2021/28x), leg. J. Grego & M. Szekeres, 17 October, 2021, 1 figured shell (H: 2.39 mm, D: 0.88 mm) (coll. JG); Imereti, Nakhriduri 5 spring cave of Turchu Gamosadivari river at the end of the canyon (locality code: 2018/17), 42°29.216′N, 42°31.341′E, leg. J. Grego & L. Mumladze, 3 May, 2018, 1 shell (H: 2.03 mm, D: 0.76 mm) (coll. JG); Imereti reg., Tkibuli, Tkibuli-Nikortsminda road left side, spring with travertine waterfall (locality code: 2018/19), 42°22.976′N 43°0.730′E, leg. J. Grego & L. Mumladze, 4–8 May 2018, 6 shells (H: 2.23–2.34 mm, D: 0.85–0.87 mm) (coll. JG); Imereti reg., Tskhradjvari pass, limestone rocks and karst forest (locality code: C2458), 42°23.405′N, 42°58.421′E, leg. J. Grego, 4 May 2018, 2 shells (coll. JG); Imereti reg., Sairme gorge, 1925 m a.s.l., 41°51.386′N, 42°47.406′E (locality code: sp8s3), leg. L. Mumladze, 11 October 2013, 1 shell (ISU); Imereti reg., Kinchkhaperdi vicinity, Okatse, spring at left bank of Satsiskvilo river canyon, leakage among larger stones, 42°31.102′N, 42°33.437′E (locality code: F1940), leg. J. Grego & M. Szekeres, 15 October, 2021, 2 dry shells (coll. JG); Samegrelo reg., Tekhuri River valley, 465 m a.s.l., 42°36.035′N, 42°20.797′E (locality code: leb3), leg. L. Mumladze, 21 August 2015, 2 subadult shells (ISU); Samegrelo reg., Chkvaleri vicinity, Kvatsalara, small cave spring just left side of the road, to Intsira waterfall, 42°43.275′N, 42°5.498′E (locality ode: F1968), leg. J. Grego & M. Szekeres, 19 October, 2021, 1 broken shell (coll. JG); Georgia, Imereti reg., Satsiskvilo vicinity, Turchismta, concrete wall and natural outlets among limestone beds at right side of path from Satsiskvilo to Okatse Spring (locality code: 2021/26), 42°29.821′N, 42°32.827′E, leg. J. Grego & M. Szekeres, 15 October, 2021, 1 broken shell (coll. JG). RUSSIA, Western Caucasus, vicinity of Sochi, valley of the Khosta river, at Rassvet village, flotsam of Khosta, 43°32.856′N, 39°52.892′E, leg. L. Németh, 20 June 1988, 68 j/b shells + 22 adult shells (LN 10680); Abkhazia, Novij Afon (Akhali Athoni), above the tunnel near the railway station, 43°5.518′N, 40°48.938′E, leg. L. Németh, 16 June 1988, 1 broken shell (LN 10524); Western Caucasus, valley of River Mzimta towards Krasnaya Polyana, 26/33. km, in the "gorge" (approximate GPS coordinates: 43°31.267′N, 39°59.903′E), leg. L. Németh, 18 June 1988, 3 shells (LN 10563); Western Caucasus, valley of River Dagomysi, ca. 10 km, vicinity of “Nor Luis village” (=Altmets), approximate GPS coordinates: 43°43.333′N, 39°40.500′E, river debris, leg. L. Németh, 19 June 1988, 7 shell fragments (LN 10720); Western Caucasus, vicinity of Sochi, valley of the Khosta river, at Rassvet village, flotsam of Khosta, 43°32.856′N, 39°52.892′E, leg. L. Németh, 20 June 1988, 12 juvenile /broken + 8 adult shells (ex LN 10681). Differential diagnosis. Acicula moussoni was found syntopically with A. parcelineata at six sites (LN10561- LN10680-LN10681, sp8s3, F1968, 2021/26, F1940, 2021/28x, see Appendix Figures 1–3) without intermediate forms, which indicates that in spite of the close similarity, they are distinct species. The shell differences are the following: A. moussoni is generally darker and larger (although the size ranges largely overlap, see Appendix Fig. 3), which is the most important trait that helps distinguish the two species in the case of mixed samples. Furthermore, A. parcelineata is rather conical or cylindrical, i.e., the sides of the shell are straight; the whorls grow regularly. In contrast, A. moussoni is rather ovoid-spindle-shaped. The whorls are flatter (less bulging) in A. parcelineata than in A. moussoni. Lastly, A. parcelineata has generally fewer grooves above the aperture, and they are arranged less regularly than those of A. moussoni (i.e., between two grooves, where a third one would be expected if it was regularly arranged, the intermediate one is absent). Distribution. Acicula parcelineata is known from the northern half of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, and one locality is known in the Lesser Caucasus Mountains (Fig. 7). Remarks. This species was originally described from 'Dzingelau' (Dzięgielów in southern Poland), and was subsequently reported from Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia and the Carpathian part of Ukraine (Jackiewicz 1974; Boeters et al. 1989; Horsák et al. 2013). Boeters et al. (1989) also reported it from flotsam of the river Rioni at Poti, Georgia, and mentioned that Jackiewicz (1974) reported it from North Ossetia in the Caucasus. Jackiewicz (1974), in fact, referred to a paper by Kalitina and Botcharova (1971), in which they collected molluscs from the mountain part of North Ossetia (= Republic of North-Ossetia-Alaniya). Those authors cited three localities where the land snails were collected (the Ardon and Kurtaty gorges, and the Military-Georgian [= Voenno-Gruzinskaya] Road near Lars settlement). Unfortunately, it is not specified where A. parcelineata was collected. Furthermore, Acicula bakanense Steklov, 1966, which was treated as a synonym of A. parcelineata by Boeters et al. (1989) and Egorov & Greíe (2003), was described from the Mio-Pliocene at Upper Bakanskaya (Krasnodar, North Caucasus). Based on this information, Boeters et al. (1989) speculated that A. parcelineata may have a wide distribution in the Caucasus Mountains. The data presented herein partly proves this claim. Namely, A. parcelineata was only found in the northern half of the Caucasus Mountains, but the multiple newly reported sites show that this species is widespread and not rare in the area where it occurs., Published as part of Páll-Gergely, Barna, Mumladze, Levan, Grego, Jozef & Giokas, Sinos, 2023, The genus Acicula W. Hartmann, 1821 in the Caucasus (Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda: Aciculidae), pp. 451-476 in Zootaxa 5239 (4) on pages 461-463, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5239.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7635110, {"references":["Clessin, S. (1911) Neue Acme - Arten. Nachrichtsblatt der Deutschen Malakozoologischen Gesellschaft, 43 (4), 165 - 167.","Steklov, A. A. (1966) Nazemnyye mollyuski neogena Predkavkaz'ya i ikh stratigraficheskoye znacheniye [Terrestrial molluscs of the Neogene Ciscaucasia and their stratigraphic significance]. Academy of Sciences of the USSR Transactions 163. Akademia Nauka S. S. S. R., Moskva, 279.","Boeters, H. D., Gittenberger, E. & Subai, P. (1989) Die Aciculidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda Prosobranchia). Zoologische Verhandelingen, 252, 1 - 234.","Skvortsova, V. & Balashov, I. (2019) Land snail Acicula parcelineata (Architaenioglossa: Cyclophoroidea: Aciculidae) in Ukraine: distribution, variability, habitat preferences and conservation status. Ruthenica, 29 (2), 94 - 102. https: // doi. org / 10.35885 / ruthenica. 2019.29 (2). 3","Jackiewicz, M. (1974) Krajowe gatunki rodziny Aciculidae (Mollusca, Prosobranchia). Fragmenta Faunistica, 19 (17), 445 - 454. https: // doi. org / 10.3161 / 00159301 FF 1974.19.17.445","Horsak, M., Jurickova, L. & Picka, J. (2013) Molluscs of the Czech and Slovak Republics. Kabourek, Zlin, 264 pp. [in Czech and English]","Kalitina, Z. I. & Botcharova, M. M. (1971) Molljuski vypasov i skotoprogonnyh putej kolhozov Severo-Osetinskoj ASSR [Molluscs of pastures and of the roads leading to pastures of collective farms on North Ossetian ASSR]. In: Likharev, I. M. (Ed.), Molluscs. Trends, Methods and some results of their investigation. These and Communications. Academy of Sciences USSR, Zoological Institute, Fourth meeting of the investigation of molluscs, Leningrad, pp. 111 - 112. [in Russian]","Egorov, R. V. & Greie, C. (2003) Treasure of Russian Shells. Vol. 6. Terrestrial Pectinibranchia: Helicinidae, Cyclophoridae, Diplommatinidae, Cochlostomatidae, Aciculidae, Tateidae, Terrestribythinellidae, Pomatiidae. Colus-Doverie, Moscow, 43 pp."]}

Genus Acicula W. Hartmann, 1821 Type species: Bulimus lineatus Draparnaud, 1801 (by monotypy)., Published as part of Páll-Gergely, Barna, Mumladze, Levan, Grego, Jozef & Giokas, Sinos, 2023, The genus Acicula W. Hartmann, 1821 in the Caucasus (Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda: Aciculidae), pp. 451-476 in Zootaxa 5239 (4) on page 457, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5239.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7635110, {"references":["Hartmann, J. D. W. (1821) System der Erd- und Flussschnecken der Schweiz. Mit vergleichender Aufzahlung aller auch in den benachbarten Landern, Deutschland, Frankreich und Italien sich vorfindenden Arten. In: Steinmuller, J. R. (Ed.), Neue Alpina. Eine Schrift der Schweizerischen Naturgeschichte, Alpen- und Landwirthschaft gewiedmet. Erster Band. Steiner, Winterthur, pp. 194 - 268, pls. 1 - 2.","Draparnaud, J. P. R. (1801) Tableau des mollusques terrestres et fluviatiles de la France. Renaud, Montpellier and Bossange, Masson & Besson, Paris, 116 pp. https: // doi. org / 10.5962 / bhl. title. 13180"]}