Coralliophila pulchella (A. Adams, 1854)

(Fig. 5C, D)

Rapana (Rhizochilus) pulchella A. Adams, 1854: 98 .

TYPE MATERIAL. — Syntypes (BMNH 1984112, three figured by Kosuge & Suzuki [1985: pl 40, figs 4, 5] and Higo et al. [2001: 66, G2402]).

TYPE LOCALITY. — Philippines.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — The type material and: Rimatara Is., BENTHAUS, stn DW 2020, 22°37’S, 152°49.1’W, 920-930 m, 1 dd (Fig. 5C, D).

DISTRIBUTION. — Indian Ocean, from Natal, South Africa (Kosuge & Meyer 1999) and Somalia (Oliverio unpublished). Pacific Ocean, from Kii Peninsula, Japan, southward to the Philippines (Higo et al. 1999), “rocky bottoms or coral reefs 20-50 m ” (Tsuchiya 2000). New Caledonia area, alive in 140-152 m (empty shells in 12-433 m: Oliverio 2008b). Austral Islands, one empty shell in 920- 930 m.

REMARKS

Coralliophila pulchella is very similar to Coralliophila carolae D’Attilio & Myers, 1984, which has been established basing only on subtle features, i.e. a coloured shell and a finer sculpture than C. pulchella . The protoconch is multispiral (2.5+ whorls) with two spiral keels, subsutural prosocline threads and oblong tubercules over each keel. The single shell here recorded is quite probably a fossil, drifted downshore from shallower habitat.