Murex (Promurex), Ponder & Vokes, 1988

Houart, Roland & Héros, Virginie, 2012, New species of Muricidae (Gastropoda) and additional or noteworthy records from the western Pacific, Zoosystema 34 (1), pp. 21-37 : 23

Subgenus Promurex Ponder & Vokes, 1988

TYPE SPECIES (by original designation). — Murex antelmei Viader, 1938 , Recent, Mauritius.

Murex (Promurex) protocrassus Houart, 1990 ( Fig. 4A, B)

Murex (Murex) protocrassus Houart, 1990: 330 , figs 1-3, 26.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype MNHN 0939 .

NEW MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Coral Sea. EBISCO: stn CP2492, Capel Bank, 24°44’S, 159°41’E, 285 m, 1 dd ( MNHN).

TYPE LOCALITY. — Coral Sea, Chesterfields, 19°40’S, 158°32’E, 305-310 m [MUSORSTOM 5: stn DC345].

DISTRIBUTION. — Coral Sea, bathymetric range unknown for living specimens. This is the 4th known specimen; all were collected as shells only. This record extends the geographical distribution southwards. The type material range is 19°36’- 19°42’S, 158°30’- 158°32’E.

REMARKS

The shell of Murex protocrassus is similar to those of the various subspecies of M. brevispina ( M. brevispina brevispina Lamarck,1822 , M. brevispina macgillivrayi Dohrn, 1862 , M.brevispina senilis Jousseaume,1874 , and M.brevispina ornamentalis Ponder&Vokes,1988 ) but differs from them in its more numerous axial ridges on the early teleoconch whorls and in its more spinose siphonal canal. Other differences are its large and broad protoconch, which indicates intracapsular larval development, and the absence of a labral tooth.

Due to the lack of the labral tooth it cannot be classified in Murex s.s. It is therefore included in Promurex as in Merle et al. (2011).

The French fossil Murex spinicosta Bronn, 1831 ( Fig. 4C), another species without a labral tooth, was classified in Promurex by Ponder & Vokes (1988: 15), and was illustrated by Landau et al. (2007).