Diversity of Coralliophilinae (Mollusca, Neogastropoda, Muricidae) at Austral Islands (South Pacific)
Author
Oliverio, Marco
Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e dell’Uomo, Rome University, “ La Sapienza ”, Viale dell’Università 32, I- 00185 Rome (Italy) marco. oliverio @ uniroma 1. it
text
Zoosystema
2009
2009-12-31
31
4
759
789
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.5252/z2009n4a2
journal article
8158
10.5252/z2009n4a2
e6fe093f-6002-4668-ae64-b656f2f7acfc
1638-9387
4520186
Coralliophila
sp. C
(
Fig. 6C, D
)
MATERIAL EXAMINED. — N of Raivavae, BENTHAUS, stn DW 1943,
23°48.7’S
,
147°39.1’W
,
950 m
.
DESCRIPTION
Shell of small size for the genus,
9.9 mm
high,
5 mm
wide. Protoconch of 2.8 whorls and a sinusigera lip. Sculpture (partly abraded) of two spiral keels with series of axial threads. Teleoconch of 3.3 whorls, spire low, conical, with concave sides. Shoulder sharply angulated and base constricted. Aperture subquadrangular with a relatively long and widely open siphonal canal; twisted fasciole, umbilical chink closed. Teleoconch spiral sculpture on the last whorl of 39 smooth cords, 6 on the subsutural ramp, one major cord at the shoulder and 32 on the base. Axial sculpture of prosocline incremental growth lines. Colour withish.
REMARKS
I have been unable to identify this shell. Although it is probably not fully grown, it does not seems a juvenile. Th e spiral sculpture of very closely set, flat, broad spiral cords with no evident scaly spines, resembles that of
Coralliophila mallicki
(Ladd, 1976)
. Yet, the shell outline is different, more spherical and with a gently curved shoulder in
C. mallicki
. In the lack of additional material I refrain from describing a new taxon. Th e present shell is quite old, and its habitat (shallow or deep waters) cannot be defined.