Taxonomic study on the molluscs collected in Marion-Dufresne expedition (MD 55) to SE Brazil: Xenophoridae, Cypraeoidea, mitriforms and Terebridae (Caenogastropoda) Author Simone, Luiz Ricardo L. Author Cunha, Carlo M. Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo, caixa postal 42494, 04218 - 970 São Paulo, SP (Brazil) lrsimone @ usp. br lrlsimone @ gmail. com lrsimone@usp.br text Zoosystema 2012 2012-12-31 34 4 745 781 http://dx.doi.org/10.5252/z2012n4a6 journal article 10.5252/z2012n4a6 1638-9387 5166650 857CAD31-66E1-4CEE-AB4D-CCD64541D0EF Vexillum sp. ( Fig. 5E, F ) MATERIAL EXAMINED . — Brazil , Espírito Santo , off Itaúnas, continental slope of Abrolhos, 18°59’S , 37°48’W , 607-620 m depth, MNHN , 1 broken shell ( MD 55, stn DC 73, Bouchet, Leal & Métivier coll., 27. V .1987 ). MEASUREMENTS (in mm). — 8.4 × 5.0 (broken). REMARKS A single broken specimen of a typical Vexillum was collected, which does not correspond to any described species. It has strong axial threads, with practically no spiral sculpture, except for weak spiral furrows in threads, producing series of shallow nodes on the threads ( Fig. 5E, F ). The subsutural region of the threads is somewhat bulged and marked by a cream spot, differentiating it from the uniform dark beige of the remaining shell surface.The body whorl (practically the single region left) is not perfectly rounded, appearing slightly flattened in middle. These patterns are not indicative of any of the known species from the Atlantic, and possibly indicate a new species.However, based on the incompleteness of the single specimen collected, the description of a new taxon was considered premature. Vexillum pulchellum (Reeve, 1844) has been collected in the Vitória-Trindade seamounts ( Rios 2009 ), but it is much more colourful and the whorls are much shorter and rounded, with welldeveloped sculpture in the interspaces of the axial threads. The same can be evoked if compared with V. histrio (Reeve, 1844) and V. trophonium (Dall, 1889) , which also occur in NE Brazilian coast.