Laona californica ( Willett, 1944 )

Valdés, Ángel, Cadien, Donald B. & Gosliner, Terrence M., 2016, Philinidae, Laonidae and Philinorbidae (Gastropoda: Cephalaspidea: Philinoidea) from the northeastern Pacific Ocean and the Beaufort Sea (Arctic Ocean), Zootaxa 4147 (5), pp. 501-537 : 503-506

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4147.5.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:501E23C4-BE48-48FC-894B-FD6B02B6C3A6
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6066650
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/F67B87E8-303F-FFE8-6B8E-F9B4FD176EBD
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Laona californica ( Willett, 1944 )
status

Treatment

Laona californica ( Willett, 1944)

Figures 1–2 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2

Philine californica Willett 1944: 72 , pl. 14, fig. 4.

Philine sp. 2 Gosliner 1996: 183 , figs. 2.9B, 2.10A.

Type material. Holotype ( LACM 1074 View Materials ): off Redondo Beach , California, 91 m depth ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 C).

Other material examined. Six miles southwest of Seal Beach , California (33º36.5’N, 118º06.4’W), 48 m depth, R/ V Velero III ( AHF BS 1135), 16 Feb 1941, 1 shell with dried soft parts, 4.6 mm long ( LACM 41-228.4 ) GoogleMaps . North flank of the Redondo Submarine Canyon, Santa Monica Bay , California (33º49.25’N, 118º32.95’W), 208 m depth, R/ V Ocean Sentinel (Southern California Bight Project, stn. 1175), 18 Jul 1994, 1 specimen 6 mm preserved length, leg. Cadien ( LACM 178900 View Materials ) GoogleMaps .

Description. Live animal unknown. The specimen here examined was contracted and the cephalic shield not visible ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 A). Shell internal, covered with tissue. Shell to 5.5 mm long, elongate, inflated ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 D–E). Spire sunken. Aperture very large, oval, narrowing posteriorly. Outer lip extending above apex. Columella slightly thickened. Inner lip twisted, flattened at intersection with body whorl. Sculpture of fine axial striations crossed by spiral lines forming a net-like pattern. Mature adult individuals often bear sharp raised spines at the intersections of the axial and spiral lines. Shell color white, in some specimens with a light brown band.

Digestive system with an oval buccal mass, surrounded by the central nervous system anteriorly ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 A). Two salivary glands connect with the buccal bulb at the insertion point of the esophagus. Esophagus short, simple, thin-walled. Gizzard and gizzard plates absent. Radular formula 12 x 6.1.0.1.6. Innermost lateral teeth large, hookshaped, smooth, lacking denticles ( Fig 1 View FIGURE 1 B). Outer teeth elongate, smooth. Gizzard plates absent.

Male reproductive system with a long and simple prostate connected to an undiferentiate penis ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 B).

Range. Southern California ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 A). Depth range 48–208 m.

Remarks. Willett (1944) placed Philine californica in the “section” Laona because of the “latticed” or net-like sculpture of the shell. Examination of the radula of two specimen from Seal Beach, California (LACM 41-228.4) and Santa Monica Bay (LACM 178900) confirms this species has a 6.1.0.1.6 radular formula and lacks gizzard plates, which along with the shell sculpture justifies its placement in Laona .

In this paper we examined two specimens, a shell with dried soft parts and a full preserved specimen. The material here examined matches the characteristics of the shell described in the original description by Willett (1944), including the “latticed” or net-like sculpture and the presence of a band of light brown on the shell. This was corroborated with the examination of the holotype (LACM 1074; Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 C), which is partially broken.

Philine sp. 2 of Gosliner (1996) has a similar radula and also lacks gizzard plates and it is most likely the same species. The preserved specimen described by Gosliner (1996) has a short cephalic shield rounded posteriorly; parapodia short, not extending over heard and posterior shields; posterior shield elongate with elongate skirt-like posterior lobes. The characteristics of this specimen match the features here described for Laona californica .

Laona californica is morphologically similar to the Atlantic species Laona pruinosa (Clark, 1827) , redescribed by Ohnheiser & Malaquias (2013). Similarities between the two species include the shell shape and sculpture, the presence of a brown band on the shell, and the radular morphology. Further research is necessary to fully understand the relationship between these two species.