Two new Horaiclavus (Horaiclavidae, Conoidea) species from the Indo-Pacific region
Author
Bonfitto, Antonio
Author
Morassi, Mauro
text
Zootaxa
2014
3821
1
146
150
journal article
45420
10.11646/zootaxa.3821.1.12
6d295ee1-b38e-4594-8557-2c0823d1a7f6
1175-5326
229715
9AE05BFB-F276-4F9E-B20E-413447E47BCE
Horaiclavus adenensis
sp. nov.
Figures 1A–L
Type
material.
Holotype
(
MZB
60078), 8
paratypes
(
MZB
60079), 1
paratype
MNHN
, 1
paratype
ZMA
, 1
paratype
NHMUK
, 1
NMNS
, 1
ZMC
, 1 ZRA, all from the
type
locality.
Type
locality.
Gulf of Aden (Indian Ocean), stn. RED SED 92/1,
11º55'95"N
,
44º22'70"E
to
11º55'82"N
,
44º22'53"E
,
795–
810 m
.
Material examined.
15 dd from Gulf of Aden, stn. RED SED 92/1, from
11º55'95"N
,
44º22'70"E
to
11º55'82"N
,
44º22'53"E
,
795–810 m
(
holotype
and 14
paratypes
); 1 dd from Gulf of Aden, stn. RED SED 92/2, between
12º02'36"N
,
44º29'53"E
and
12º02'46"N
,
44º30'82"E
,
1395–1400 m
(coated,
MZB
60080).
Description.
Shell claviform (b/l 0.48–0.51; a/l 0.40–0.42) (
Fig. 1A–C, E
) with a moderately high orthoconoid spire and a short, contracted and quite strongly tapering base. Protoconch papilliform of about 1¼–1½ smooth whorls (
Fig.
1I
–J
) with a weak submedian keel near termination bordered by few spiral rows of granules (
Fig. 1K–L
). Maximum protoconch diameter
0.57 mm
. Teleoconch of up to ca. 4½ whorls with shallowly impressed, slightly wavy suture. Whorls strongly convex, gradate; first whorl bluntly angled near middle, subsequent whorls with a well rounded shoulder above mid-whorl height on later two teleoconch whorls. Subsutural ramp is narrow, weakly concave on earlier two whorls, convex on later whorls. Axial sculpture of strong, slightly arcuate and weakly opisthocline folds, extending from suture to suture, weakening on subsutural ramp and fading on lower shell base. Axial ribs of rounded triangular crosssection, interspaces concave, broader than ribs. There are 10–11 axial ribs on last two teleoconch whorls. Spiral sculpture represented only by three weak threads on rostrum. Aperture is oval, with rather short siphonal canal. Anal sinus weak, just an insinuation of thin lip edge (
Fig. 1D
). Inner lip evenly curved, columellar part straight, parietal callus forming a weak pad. Under SEM the surface of the interior part of the inner lip is seen to be covered by squamiform pustules (
Fig. 1H
). Outer lip has a heavy varix behind thin lip edge. Shell glossy and white. Dimensions:
Holotype
: 4.5 x
2.3 mm
, aperture height
1.9 mm
. Largest
paratype
: 5.0 x
2.4 mm
, aperture height
2.1 mm
; smallest
paratype
of the series, probably a shell of an immature specimen with 3.8 teleoconch whorls: 3.8 x
1.9 mm
, aperture height
1.6 mm
.
Etymology
.
adenensis
, alluding to the fact that the new species is described from the Gulf of Aden.
Remarks
.
Horaiclavus adenensis
sp. nov.
is characterized by its small size and presence of a submedian keel in the terminal part of the protoconch. Among its supposed congeners, it is comparable to
Horaiclavus anaimus
Sysoev
in
Fedosov & Kantor,
2008
in shape and number of protoconch whorls but differs from the latter mainly in its much smaller dimensions (up to
5 mm
vs up to
12 mm
in maximum length), more strongly convex spire whorls, spiral sculpture restricted to rostrum, shorter siphonal canal and presence of a weak keel in the terminal part of the protoconch, a feature not reported so far in any of its described congeners. The presence or absence of a keel in the protoconch is currently regarded as a doubtful feature in supraspecific classification; also we cannot exclude the possibility that SEM examination would show the presence of this feature in other
Horaiclavus
or
Horaiclavus
-like species.
H. adenensis
sp. nov.
superficially resembles in shape, axial sculpture and presence of a carinate protoconch the shallow water
Clavus costatus
Hedley, 1922
(=
Gracicliclava mackayensis
Shuto, 1983
), from Queensland (
Australia
),
type
species of
Graciliclava
Shuto, 1983
, a genus currently regarded as closely related to and possibly a subgenus of
Anacithara
Hedley, 1922
(
Kilburn, 1994
)
, also included in the
Horaiclavidae (
Bouchet
et al.
, 2011
)
. However, according to
Shuto (1983:11–12)
the shell surface of
Graciliclava costata
(
Hedley, 1922
)
is sculptured by “dense and minute spiral lines” of different order of strength as in members of the genus
Anacithara
and the protoconch keel is stronger than in
H. adenensis
.