Conchatalos spinula, Houart & Héros, 2008

Houart, Roland & Héros, Virginie, 2008, Muricidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from Fiji and Tonga, Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle 196, pp. 437-480 : 466-468

Conchatalos spinula n. sp.

Figs 6A-E

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype (dd) MNHN 20009 and 5 (1 lv, 4 dd) paratypes MNHN 20011 , 1 (dd) NMNZ, 1 (dd) RH.

TYPE LOCALITY. — Fiji, 19°40’S, 178°10’W, 314-377 m [BORDAU 1: stn DW 1469] .

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Only known from the type material.

DESCRIPTION. — Shell medium-sized for the genus, up to 6.6 mm in height at maturity (Fig. 6C), biconical, heavy, weakly spinose. Spire tall with 1¼ protoconch whorls and up to 4¼ broad, angulate teleoconch whorls. Suture adpressed. Protoconch large, broad, whorls rounded, smooth. Terminal lip thin, almost straight.

Teleoconch axial sculpture consisting of high, broad, spinose or nodose ribs. Other axial sculpture of numerous growth lamellae. First whorl with 8 ribs, second with 9 or 10, third and last with 8. Spiral sculpture moderately high, consisting of primary, secondary and tertiary cords as follows: first whorl with P1 and P2 visible, s1 starting; second with IP, P1, s1, P2; third with adis, IP, abis, P1, s1, P2 and t1b starting; fourth with adis, IP, abis, P1, t1d, s1, t1b, P2, t2d, s2, t2b, P3, t3d, s3, P4, t4d, S4, t4b, P5, ADP, MP. Occasional additional threads between adis and P1. P5 narrower. Small knobs and/or open spinelets present at intersection of primary cords and axial ribs.

FIG. 6. A, B, Conchatalos spinula n. sp., Fiji,BORDAU 1 DW 1469, holotype MNHN 20009,h 6.7 mm; C, paratype MNHN 20011,h 6.6 mm; D, SEM, paratype MNHN 20011, h 5.9 mm; E, protoconch, 0.7 mm. F, Leptotrophon sp. , Tonga, BORDAU 2 DW1 538, h 6.8 mm. G, Siphonochelus boucheti Houart, 1991 , Fiji,MUSORSTOM 10 CP 1360, h 5.9 mm. H, Siphonochelus japonicus (A. Adams,1863) , Tonga,BORDAU 2 DW 1615,h 7.9 mm. I, Monstrotyphis montforti (A. Adams, 1863) , Fiji, BORDAU 1 DW 1465, h 8 mm. J, Siphonochelus boucheti Houart, 1991 , profile of the aperture and the last varix. Scale bar: 1 mm. K, Siphonochelus japonicus (A. Adams, 1863) , profile of the aperture and the last varix. Scale bar: 1 mm.

Aperture small, almost round. Columellar lip narrow, flaring, rim partially erect, adherent at adapical extremity, with 3 knobs abapically and with parietal rib adapically in a few specimens. Anal notch broad, deep. Outer lip weakly erect, with 4 strong denticles within. D3 occasionally absent. Siphonal canal short, broad, weakly bent dorsally, open.

Shell fleshy white, with weakly darker protoconch and first teleoconch whorl on a few specimens.

Operculum with apical nucleus.

REMARKS. — The genus Conchatalos currently includes four species: C. lacrima (Houart, 1991) , C. tirardi (Houart, 1991) , C. canalibrevis Houart, 1995 and C. vaubani Houart, 1995 , all from off New Caledonia, in deep water. Conchatalos spinula differs from them all in being more nodose or spinose, in having more obvious spiral primary cords, and in having a narrower aperture with conspicuous denticles. Some characters, such as the occasional spinelets at the intersections of axial ribs and spiral cords and the narrow aperture, are more reminiscent of Leptotrophon Houart, 1995 . However, the lower spire, the broader last teleoconch whorl, and the shorter siphonal canal suggest placement in Conchatalos . The radula of Conchatalos differs from that of Leptotrophon in having broader cusps and denticles, and a larger central cusp ( Houart 1995b: figs 25-27). However, the radula of C. spinula is not yet known.

ETYMOLOGY. — Spinula (Latin): diminutive of spina (spine).