Profundiconus maribelae, Tenorio & Castelin, 2016

Tenorio, Manuel J. & Castelin, Magalie, 2016, Genus Profundiconus Kuroda, 1956 (Gastropoda, Conoidea): Morphological and molecular studies, with the description of five new species from the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia, European Journal of Taxonomy 173, pp. 1-45 : 19-21

Profundiconus maribelae sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8CAB54B6-D03A-49B7-A289-3F46FCCA9366

Figs 7A–G , 8

Profundiconus n. sp. c cf. loyaltiensis – Puillandre et al. 2014: Supplementary Material 1 (unfigured).

Etymology

This species is dedicated to Maribel Albarrán Quintanilla, wife of the first author and a shell-lover, in recognition for her support and constant encouragement to the first author at all times.

Type material examined

Holotype

SOLOMON ISLANDS: 27.5 × 12.6 mm, R/V Alis, SALOMONBOA 3 Expedition, st. CP 2767 , Guadalcanal, 9°19' S, 160°6' E, 416–425 m ( MNHN IM-2007-34878 ; Fig. 7A ; GenBank accession number (cox1 sequence): KJ550452 ).

Paratypes

SOLOMON ISLANDS: 30.0 × 12.5 mm, R/V Alis, SALOMON 2 Expedition, st. CP 2207, NW Isabel , 7°43' S, 158°29' E, 336–341 m ( MNHN IM-2007-30935 ; paratype 1; Fig. 7B ; GenBank accession number (cox1 sequence): KJ550352 ) ; 30.4 × 13.1 mm, R/V Alis, SALOMON 2 Expedition, st. CP 2247, NW Isabel , 7°45' S, 156°25' E, 686–690 m ( MNHN IM-2007-30338 ; paratype 2; Fig. 7 C ); 27.2 × 12.4 mm (broken shell), R/V Alis, SALOMONBOA 3 Expedition, type locality , 416–425 m ( MNHN IM-2007- 34880 ; paratype 3; Fig. 7E ).

Type locality

SOLOMON ISLANDS: Guadalcanal, 9°19' S, 160°6' E, 416–425 m (SALOMONBOA 3 st. CP 2767).

Other material examined

SOLOMON ISLANDS: 31.5 × 14.4 mm, R /V “Alis”, SALOMONBOA 3 Expedition , type locality ( MNHN IM-2007-34879 ; Fig. 7F ; GenBank accession number (cox1 sequence): KJ550352 ). Note: This specimen was photographed (http://coldb.mnhn.fr/catalognumber/mnhn/im/2007-34879) and sequenced, but the shell was destroyed in the process and is no longer available.

Description

Morphometric parameters: S L = 27–32 mm; RD = 0.55–0.62; RSH = 0.21–0.26; PMD = 0.89–0.93.

Shell moderately small. Maximum length 31.5 mm. Shell profile conical, with straight to very slightly convex sides and spire moderate to high. Spire profile straight, stepped. Paucispiral protoconch with 1.5–1.75 whorls, brownish, glossy and translucent ( Fig. 7D ). Teleoconch whorls stepped, ridged with small but strong nodules which persist in shoulder in most cases. Sutural ramp concave, with subsutural ridge and 3 to 4 strong spiral cords crossed by thin radial threads. Shoulder carinated, most often covered with small nodules along shoulder angle. Early teleoconch whorls pure white. Late teleoconch whorls in vicinity of shoulder area may exhibit some small, irregular brown blotches. Last whorl with grooves forming flat spiral ribbons, which may extend from shoulder to base. In some specimens sculpture of grooves and flat spiral ribbons in last whorl reduced to subshoulder area and basal half. Ground colour white overlaid with sparse brown, axially arranged flammules or blotches. White ground colour predominates in all specimens studied. Columella and aperture white. Anal notch shallow. Periostracum yellow-brown, thin and translucent. Operculum present, serrated on left border.

Radular teeth examined in paratype 1 ( Fig. 7G ). 38 teeth in radular sac. Radular tooth medium-sized, its total length relative to shell length S L/T L = 45. Anterior portion much shorter than posterior section of tooth (T L/AP L = 3.43). With one barb and pointed, well-defined blade which covers 50% of anterior portion of tooth. With external cusp located at approximately lower quarter of anterior portion of tooth, extending between 75% and 90% of length of anterior portion of tooth. External cusp laterally expanded and serrated, with 5 small denticles. Immediately below waist with characteristic fringe composed of closely spaced projections pointing towards apex. Shaft fold present. Large and prominent basal spur present on top of slanted base of tooth.

Distribution and habitat

Known from the Solomon Islands, including the New Georgia Group (Vella Lavella Island), Santa Isabel and Guadalcanal, at depths between 336 and 690 m ( Fig. 8 ).

Remarks

The specimens of P. maribelae sp. nov. from the Solomon Islands form a monophyletic group supported by BI and ML analyses. P. maribelae sp. nov. was initially referred to as P. cf. loyaltiensis in the phylogenetic analysis, given the resemblance of its shell to that of P. loyaltiensis , a species known only from New Caledonia ( Fig. 1H ). However, the shell of P. maribelae sp. nov. attains a larger size (27–32 mm for maribelae vs. 21.5–26 mm for loyaltiensis ). The spire outline in P. maribelae sp. nov. is straight rather than deeply concave as occurs in P. loyaltiensis . The sculpture of flat spiral ribbons in the last whorl is much more developed in P. maribelae sp. nov. than in P. loyaltiensis . The most evident difference between the two species is that the shell of P. loyaltiensis is white and patternless, whereas the shell of P. maribelae sp. nov. exhibits a pattern of sparse, axially arranged brown flammules or blotches. The morphology of the radular teeth of P. maribelae sp. nov. and P. loyaltiensis is very similar, but they differ in their relative sizes, being larger in P. loyaltiensis (S L/T L) = 30–37; versus 45 for P. maribelae sp. nov.). The shell of P. teramachii ( Fig. 1B ) is easily separated from that of P. maribelae sp. nov. by its much larger size, its pale, straw-yellow, patternless shell, smooth sculpture of the last whorl, usually much less developed nodules, absence of strong cords on the sutural ramp, and by its multispiral instead of paucispiral protoconch. P. maribelae sp. nov. is distantly related to both P. loyaltiensis and P. teramachii in the phylogeny presented here.

Figures

Fig. 1. [opposite page] A. Profundiconus profundorum (Kuroda, 1956) (MJT coll., Okezoko, Kochi Prefecture, Japan, 350 m), 75.0 mm. B. Profundiconus teramachii (Kuroda, 1956) (MJT coll., South China Sea, trawled in 400 m), 111.3 mm. C. Profundiconus neotorquatus (da Motta, 1984) (MJT coll., NW coast of Madagascar, dredged in 600–800 m), 78.4 mm. D. Profundiconus smirnoides Tenorio, 2015 (holotype, MNHN IM-2009-18220, off Ile des Pins, New Caledonia, 480–500 m), 71.8 mm. E. Conilithes antidiluvianus (Bruguière, 1792), Upper Pliocene, Piacenzian Stage (MJT coll., Pedrera Anna, Molins de Rey, Barcelona, Spain), 35.3 mm. F. Profundiconus emersoni (Hanna, 1963) (LACM 146906, off Isla Santa Maria (Charles), Galápagos Is., Ecuador, 310 m), 33.7 mm. G. Profundiconus tuberculosus (Tomlin, 1937) (MJT coll., Miura, Sagami Bay, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, 100 m), 13.7 mm. H. Profundiconus loyaltiensis (Röckel & Moolenbeek, 1995) (holotype, MNHN IM-2000- 2545, Ride des Loyauté, New Caledonia, 480 m), 21.8 mm. I. Profundiconus vaubani (Röckel & Moolenbeek,1995)(holotype,MNHNIM-2000-3455,NorfolkRidge,NewCaledonia,435m),25.8mm. J. Profundiconus kanakinus (Richard, 1983) (MNHN, South New Caledonia, 410–440 m), 19.5 mm. K. Profundiconus cakobaui Moolenbeek et al., 2008 (holotype, MNHN IM-2000-21030, Somo-somo Strait,South ofVanua Levu, Fiji, 426-487m),18.9 mm.L.Profundiconusprofundorum (Kuroda, 1956) (MJT coll., South China Sea, trawled in 500–600 m), 109.9 mm. Scalebars = 10 mm.

Fig. 7. Profundiconus maribelaesp. nov.A. Holotype, 27.5 × 12.6 mm.B. Paratype1, 30.0 ×12.5 mm. C. Paratype 2, 30.4 × 13.1 mm. D. Paratype 2, enlargement of the spire. E. Paratype 3 (broken shell), 27.2 × 12.4 mm. F. Sequenced specimen (MNHN IM-2007-34879), 31.5 × 14.4 mm. G. Radular tooth from paratype 1. Scale bars = 10 mm unless otherwise indicated.

Fig. 8. Distribution map for Profundiconus maribelae sp. nov. Red circles indicate the points where the species has been collected.