Babelomurex wormaldi (Powell, 1971) (Fig. 7H, I)

Latiaxis wormaldi Powell, 1971: 220, figs 15, 16.

Latiaxis fenestratus Kosuge, 1980: 42, pl. 10, figs 10, 11.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Latiaxis wormaldi: holotype (AIM AM71329; Kosuge & Suzuki [1985: pl. 33, fig. 2] figured this specimen labelled AIM TM1329) .

Latiaxis fenestratus: holotype (IMT 80-10) and paratypes (IMT 80-11; not examined), figured by Kosuge & Suzuki (1985: pl. 17, figs 8 [holotype], 9 [paratype]; pl. 33, fig. 3 [paratype]) .

TYPE LOCALITY. — Latiaxis wormaldi: ESE of Poor Knights Islands, northeastern New Zealand, 329 m.

Latiaxis fenestratus: Off Mactan, Cebu Island, Philippines.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — The type material of Latiaxis wormaldi and: BENTHAUS, stn DW 1998, North coast of Rurutu, 22°24.8’S, 151°22.2’W, 250-302 m, 1 dd. — Stn DW 1932, Banc Président Thiers, 24°40.8’S, 146°01.5’W, 500-800 m, 1 dd (Fig. 7H, I).

DISTRIBUTION. — Philippines and the SW Pacific, to north-eastern New Zealand.Norfolk Ridge, New Hebrides Arc and Tonga, empty shells in 360-650 m depth, alive in 440-508 m (Oliverio 2008b). Austral Islands, empty shells in 302- 500 m.

REMARKS

Protoconch of 2.8 conical whorls, 635 µm high, 700 µm wide at the base. Protoconch I of about one whorl, sculptured with pustules over the entire surface. Protoconch II of about 1.8 whorls, with two spiral keels, and sculptured with a series of subsutural threads and a series of nodulose threads over each keel; a diffuse granulation is present in the interspaces.