Taxonomic review of tropical western Atlantic shallow water Drilliidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Conoidea) including descriptions of 100 new species
Author
Fallon, Phillip J.
text
Zootaxa
2016
4090
1
1
363
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.4090.1.1
e6b35f5a-435e-4473-b29e-1e4d842f84b0
1175-5326
263299
203BAC25-B542-48FE-B5AD-EBA8C0285833
Splendrillia flavopunctata
,
new species
(
Plate 151
)
Type
material.
Holotype
13.9 x
5.1 mm
(ANSP 353508); 5
paratypes
: 1 spec., 11.8 x
4.2 mm
, from the
type
locality, both F. Sander! (ANSP 353509); 4 spec., 17.4 x 6.2, 18.8 x 6.4, 17.5 x 6.2 & 15.6 x
5.5 mm
, in
244–274 m
, from inside bottle, Sta. 13-04, off Sea Aquarium, SE
Curaçao
,
Netherlands Antilles
,
12°04'59.51"N
,
68°53'56.61"W
, C. Baldwin! aboard
Curasub
,
8 Feb 2013
(USNM 1231401).
Type
locality.
Off Holetown, St. James Parish,
Barbados
,
13°10'52"N
,
059°38'30"W
, in
155–
174 m
.
Range and depth.
Barbados
;
Netherlands Antilles
(off SE
Curaçao
). Reported from
155–
274 m
.
Description.
Shell
small (to
18.8 mm
total length), glossy, fusiform, moderately slender with a high spire, whorls up to 11 total, the last approximately 54% of total length;. Whorls convex, periphery below mid-whorl, which appear to sag just above suture; aperture narrow, only a little wider midway than the anterior canal.
Protoconch
about 2½ smooth round whorls.
Axial sculpture
of low broad ribs with round crests, about as wide as their interspaces, widest at whorl periphery, 8–11 on the penultimate and 7 on the body whorl to the varix. Axial growth striae weak; strongest on outer lip.
Spiral sculpture
absent except for the presence of 6 fine threads on shell base and 7–9 on anterior fasciole.
Sulcus
about ¼-whorl in height, flat, with a few low rib remnants but no other sculpture.
Varix
hump-like about ⅓-turn from the edge of the outer lip.
Outer lip
thin, flattened, with 3 strengthening ribs, the larges aligned under the anal sinus; edge folded slightly inward; viewed from its side, edge forms a low arc from, and is congruent with, the anal sinus to the anterior canal, with only a slight dip marking a stromboid notch.
Anal sinus
deep, U-shaped and adjoining the suture at its apex; a weak parietal callus at its entrance; inner edge flared.
Inner lip
unemarginate except anteriorly where it is erect alongside the anterior canal.
Anterior canal
short, but well formed, open and only very slightly notched; anterior fasciole not swollen.
Color
white with 2 light golden-brown bands in rib interspaces above suture line, both visible on the spire whorls; varix with a reddish brown patch.
Remarks.
Taxonomy.
Splendrillia flavopunctata
has the characteristics of
Splendrillia
: a bare sulcus, a reverse ”L”-shaped anal sinus, a hump-like varix, and absence of shell microsculpture except on shell base and anterior fasciole. The two
types
were previously identified on the ANSP data slip as
Cerodrillia carminura
(Dall, 1889)
but lack the cup-handle varix and spout-like anal sinus of
Cerodrillia
.
For reasons stated in the section on
C. carminura
, the two ANSP lots are not the same as Dall’s original
type
.
Variability.
The average total length of six specimens is
15.83 mm
(
11.8–18.8 mm
), the average W/
L ratio
0.354.
Identification.
Splendrillia flavopunctata
is similar to
S. interpunctata
(E.A. Smith, 1882)
,
S. panamensis
,
new species
,
S. abdita
,
new species
, and
S. bahamasensis
,
new species
. It is similar in size to
S. interpunctata
but differs in having a slightly narrower shell (W/L=0.357 versus 0.429, respectively), less angular whorls, and different coloration. It is similar in size to
S. panamensis
but its shell is also narrower (W/L=0.357 versus 0.413, respectively), and has less convex whorls. From
S. abdita
it differs in being larger (15.83 versus
9.67 mm
in average total length) and in possessing more convex whorls and a different color pattern. It is similar in size to
S. bahamasensis
but its shell is also narrower (W/ L = 0.365 versus 0.413, respectively), lacks the heavy growth striae of that species, and has a different color pattern.
Etymology.
The Gold-spotted
Splendrillia
. Derived from Latin
flavus
, gold colored, and
punctatus
punctuated. The name was inspired from the two rows of light golden-brown spots between the ribs.