Murex tenuirostrum Lamarck, 1822

Houart, Roland & Héros, Virginie, 2008, Muricidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from Fiji and Tonga, Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle 196, pp. 437-480 : 440

Murex tenuirostrum Lamarck, 1822

Fig. 1B

Murex tenuirostrum Lamarck, 1822: 159 .

Other reference:

Murex tribulus - Cernohorsky 1967: 115 (in part), pl. 14, fig. 2.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.— Fiji. MUSORSTOM 10: stn DW 1333, BORDAU 1: stn DW 1498, 18°41’S, 178°28’W, 300-307 m, 1 dd 16°50’S, 178°13’E, 200-215 m, 1 dd juv; stn CP 1371, 18°12’S, juv . — SUVA 4: stn DW 09, 18°21’S, 178°06’E, 37-41 m, 1 lv; stn 178°33’E, 135-151 m, 1 lv juv. — SUVA 2: stn DW 44, 17°52’S, DW 16, 18°26’S, 178°07’E, 32-36 m, 1 lv; stn CP 18, 18°26’S, 177°13’E, 33 m, 4 dd; stn CP 45, 17°52’S, 177°13’E, 35 m, 2 178°06’E, 44-45 m, 4 lv; stn CP 19, 18°26’S, 178°04’E, 48-50 m, lv, 1 dd; stn CP 48, 17°56’S, 177°14’E, 16 m, 2 lv; stn BS 49, 7 lv & dd; stn CP 20, 18°26’S, 178°02’E, 50-51 m, 17 lv & dd; 17°45’S, 177°12’E, 23 m, 1 lv; stn DW 50, 17°45’S, 177°14’E, stn CP 30, 18°17’S, 178°04’E, 32 m, 6 lv & dd.

36 m, 1dd; stn CP 57, 17°43’S, 177°23’E, 17 m, 2 lv; stn CP 65, Tonga. BORDAU 2: stn CP 1582, 18°41’S, 174°03’W, 79-82 m, 17°48’S, 177°13’E, 32 m, 1 lv juv; stn CP 66, 17°45’S, 177°14’E, 1 lv (juv.), 1 dd.

37 m, 1 lv (Fig. 1B); stn CP 67, 17°44’S, 177°18’E, 28 m, 1 lv. —

DISTRIBUTION. — Indo-West Pacific , Fiji and Tonga, live in 16-135 m, shells to 307 m.

REMARKS. — Murex tenuirostrum is probably the most common species in the genus. It has been wrongly identified as M. tribulus Linné, 1758 in many publications but differs from M. tribulus in having a more nodose (cancellate) sculpture, fewer spines on the siphonal canal, and more rounded and nodose first teleoconch whorls (Ponder & Vokes 1988: 24). Both species have a conical multispiral protoconch, indicating planktotrophic larval development.