Late Pleistocene Red Sea Mollusca: 1. Polyplacophora
Author
Dell’Angelo, Bruno
Author
Landau, Bernard M.
Author
Sosso, Maurizio
Author
Taviani, Marco
text
Zootaxa
2020
2020-05-11
4772
3
401
449
journal article
22261
10.11646/zootaxa.4772.3.1
d807f185-5391-4c8c-84c6-2550370b3cd3
1175-5326
3819654
F546A223-59A0-4DA1-9102-AD7BC482105F
Lucilina aqabaensis
n. sp.
(
Fig. 13
)
Type material.
Holotype
: MZB 50545, a tail valve, St. 9, width
6.5 mm
(
Figs 13
A–F).
Type
locality.
Gulf of Aqaba
,
Saudi Arabia
(Ash Shaykh Humayd: this study): St. 9
.
Type
stage.
Late Pleistocene, last interglacial MIS5e.
Etymology.
The name refers to the
Gulf
of
Aqaba
, source of the material here described.
Diagnosis.
Tail valve semioval, mucro posterior, obtuse, antemucronal slope slightly convex, postmucronal slope perpendicular. Tegmentum finely granulose, antemucronal and postmucronal areas with concentric growth lines, characterised by the presence of groups of fused granules, irregularly arranged in concentric striae. Articulamentum white, apophyses well developed, jugal sinus wide, 10 slits, teeth slightly forwardly directed, finely grooved on upper side.
FIGURE 13.
Lucilina aqabaensis
n. sp.
A–F.
Saudi Arabia, Gulf of Aqaba, Ash Shaykh Humayd (St. 9), Late Pleistocene (last interglacial MIS5e), Holotype, MZB 50545, tail valve, width 6.5 mm, dorsal view (in two different positions of the valve), detail of tegmentum surface of antemucronal area, ventral, lateral and posterior views. Scale bar: 100 µm (C).
Description.
Tail valve semioval, length less than half width (L/W = 0.42), front margin straight, hind margin angularly rounded, mucro posterior, obtuse, antemucronal slope slightly convex, postmucronal slope perpendicular.
Tegmentum finely granulose, roundish granules irregularly dispersed, extending over entire surface of valve, both antemucronal and postmucronal areas with concentric growth lines, characterised by the presence of groups of fused granules, more frequent and larger in postmucronal area along hind margin, giving the impression of being irregularly arranged in concentric striae. Roundish granules small and close-set, diameter ca
48–60 µm
, with 1 large central macroaesthete and up to 10 microaesthetes along margin.
Articulamentum white, apophyses well developed, jugal sinus wide, provided with a short plate, 10 slits, slit rays not indicated, teeth relatively long, slightly forwardly directed, all teeth finely grooved on upper side, denticulated on outer edge, eaves narrow, solid.
Remarks.
We assign this unique tail valve to the genus
Lucilina
based on the presence of having grooved teeth on the articulamentum (and not a callus as in the genus
Onithochiton
Gray, 1847
), and having the mucro subterminal (and not subcentral as in the genus
Tonicia
Gray, 1847
) (
Kaas
et al.
2006: 294
). We did not observe the presence of ocelli in the postmucronal area.
The characters of this single tail valve are so distinctive that they warrant description as a new species. The peculiar granulose sculpture of this species is different from that of other
Lucilina
species known from the
Red Sea
(including those described herein), and Indian Ocean (
Kaas
et al
. 2006
).
Distribution.
Late Pleistocene:
Saudi Arabia
, Gulf of Aqaba (Ash Shaykh Humayd: this study).