Vermeijius retiarius ( Martens, 1901 ) Kantor & Fedosov & Snyder & Bouchet, 2018

Kantor, Yuri I., Fedosov, Alexander E., Snyder, Martin Avery & Bouchet, Philippe, 2018, Pseudolatirus Bellardi, 1884 revisited, with the description of two new genera and five new species (Neogastropoda: Fasciolariidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 433, pp. 1-57 : 50-51

Vermeijius retiarius ( Martens, 1901) gen. et comb. nov.

Fig. 11K

Fusus ? retiarius Martens, 1901: 22 .

Fusus ? retiarius – Martens 1904: 104–105, pl. 2, fig. 4.

Fusinus retiarius – Hadorn & Fraussen 2002: 64, 66, 68, figs 3–8, 21. — Mallard & Robin 2017: 81.

Type material

Lectotype

SOMALIA: dd, 38.5 × 15.7 mm, off southern Somalia , 01º49′ N, 45°29′ E, 1134 m, Valdivia , stn 256, designated by Hadorn & Fraussen (2002) ( ZMB 61012).

Sequenced material

SOUTH MADAGASCAR: ATIMO VATAE: 1 lv, stn CP3595, South of Pointe Barrow, 25°35′ S, 44°15′ E, 821–910 m ( MNHN IM-2009-15087).

Description

Shell large for genus, up to 57 mm in length, strong, broadly fusiform, gradually constricting to medium long, sinuous, coaxial siphonal canal. Protoconch dome-shaped, paucispiral, of 1.5 convex smooth whorls, greyish, semitransparent, with 3 weak arcuate axial ribs at transition to teleoconch. Protoconch/ teleoconch discontinuity distinct, marked by appearance of teleoconch spiral sculpture. Protoconch diameter 1000 µm, exposed height 700 µm. Teleoconch with strongly convex whorls. Aperture broad, oval, columella smooth. Spiral sculpture of moderately strong cords, beaded at intersection with axial ribs and much thinner, although distinct, secondary cords, covering interspaces between primary cords; 4–5 primary spiral cords on spire whorls, including penultimate. Axial ribs not aligned along spire, 11– 12 per whorl. Background colour pale flesh to nearly white. Operculum elongate, leaf-shaped, spanning nearly entire aperture. Nucleus terminal.

Radula ( Hadorn & Fraussen 2002: fig. 21) with medium broad, arcuate, lateral teeth, with attenuated outer anterior corner, producing medium long ‘handle’. Lateral teeth with five slightly recurved cusps, outermost longest, more distant from others. Additional innermost short, but distinct, cusp present. Central tooth small, subrectangular, with three very short cusps, medium longest.

Distribution

East Africa, from Somalia to South Madagascar, in 500–1134 m.

Remarks

In the COI-based tree Vermeijius retiarius gen. et comb. nov. did not cluster with V. pallidus gen. et comb. nov. and V. virginiae gen. et comb. nov., but in the three genes tree it was recovered as a sister group to the clade combining these two species. The relationships are highly supported in the Bayesian analysis, therefore we include it in Vermeijius gen. nov. It differs from the two sequenced species by a more stout shell with paucispiral protoconch.

Figures

Fig. 11. Species of Vermeijius gen. nov. A–E. Vermeijius pallidus (Kuroda & Habe, 1961) gen. et comb. nov. A–B. South China Sea, DongSha 2014, stn CP4128, 20°42′ N, 116°08′ E, 420–444 m. A. SL 50.6 mm (MNHN IM-2013-50173). B. SL 56.6 mm (MNHN IM-2013-50174). C. Solomon Islands, SALOMON 2, stn CP2290, 08°40′ S, 157°32′ E, 384–418 m, SL 59.9 mm (MNHN IM-2007-32537). D–E. New Caledonia, CONCALIS, stn CP2962, Grand Passage, 18°59′ S, 163°08′ E, 580–647 m, SL 45.2 mm (MNHN IM-2007-35093). F–J. Vermeijius virginiae (Hadorn & Fraussen, 2002) gen. et comb. nov. F. Holotype, SL 58.9 mm (MNHN IM-2000-9626). G–H. South Madagascar, ATIMO VATAE, stn CP3585, 25°32′ S; 44°16′ E, 549–576 m. G. SL 53.8 mm (MNHN IM-2009-15025). H. SL 52.6 mm (MNHN IM-2009-15026). I–J. South Madagascar, ATIMO VATAE, stn CP3591, 25°03′ S, 43°58′ E, 400–402 m, SL 56 mm (MNHN IM-2009-15021). K. Vermeijius retiarius (Martens, 1901) gen. et comb. nov., South Madagascar, ATIMO VATAE, stn CP3595, 25°35′ S, 44°15′ E, 821–910 m, SL 47.5 mm (MNHN IM-2009-15087). All specimens sequenced, except F. Figures A–D, F–I, K to the same scale.