Coralliophila persica Melvill, 1897

Oliverio, Marco, 2008, Coralliophilinae (Neogastropoda: Muricidae) from the southwest Pacific, Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle 196, pp. 481-586 : 496

Coralliophila persica Melvill, 1897

Fig. 12

Coralliophila persica Melvill, 1897: 6 , pl. 6, fig. 4.

Synonym:

Coralliophila emimarumai Kosuge, 1981 a: 61, pl. 15, figs 8-9.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Coralliophila persica : holotype BMNH 1879.7 .30.115, figured by Kosuge & Suzuki (1985, pl. 49, fig. 3) . — Coralliophila emimarumai : holotype IMT 8061 [not seen], figured by Kosuge & Suzuki (1985: pl. 7, fig. 2 and pl.39, fig. 4), “transferred to the collection of Mr Masaji Suzuki” ( Kosuge 1992: 158) .

TYPE LOCALITY. — C. persica: Persian Gulf. — C. emimarumai : South China Sea, about 150 m.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — New Caledonia proper. LAGON: 12); stn 216, 21°53’S, 165°49’E, 14 m, 1 dd; stn 1023, Secteur stn 152, Ile Ouen-Baie du Prony 22°32’S, 166°43’E, 23 m, 2 dd; de Poum, 20°04’S, 163°52’E, 27 m, 1 dd; stn 1214, Secteur des stn 175, Baie de St Vincent , 22°06’S, 166°06’E, 17 m, 1 dd (Fig. Belep, 19°50’S, 163°37’E, 29 m, 1 dd.

DISTRIBUTION. — Indian Ocean, from South Africa (Kosuge 2008), Somalia ( Kosuge 1993) and eastern Arabia “offshore” ( Bosch et al. 1995). From Kii Peninsula ( Japan), southward to China Sea, the Philippines (Tsuchiya 2000). New Caledonia, empty shells in 14- 29 m.

REMARKS. — Specimens from near the type locality ( Somalia, MO) have a protoconch of 1.8 whorls, with shape and sculpture possibly indicating a prolonged intracapsular phase .