Metaxia albicephala Kay, 1979

Figure 43

Metaxia albicephala Kay 1979: 130, 132, fig. 48L, M.

Type locality.

Poipu Beach, Kauai, Hawaiian Islands.

Type material.

Holotype: BPBM 9784. Paratypes: NHMUK 1982260, 1 specimen, Keahole Point, Hawaii, Hawaiian Islands. Other paratypes: AMS and USNM (fide Kay 1979; not seen) .

Remarks.

The specimen in NHMUK may be a different species than the holotype figured by Kay (1979, fig. 48L, M). The holotype has large flat spiral cords (a character also included in the original description) and the interspaces are smaller than the cords. In contrast, the NHMUK specimen has thin spiral cords with ample interspaces. Unfortunately, Kay’s illustration of the teleoconch is blurred, and the NHMUK specimen is worn and lacks the apex, which would have offered additional diagnostic characters for observation.