Babelomurex fusiformis ( Martens, 1902 )

Oliverio, Marco, 2008, Coralliophilinae (Neogastropoda: Muricidae) from the southwest Pacific, Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle 196, pp. 481-586 : 525-526

Babelomurex fusiformis ( Martens, 1902)

Figs 67, 68, 70, 170

Rapana (Latiaxis) fusiformis Martens, 1902: 96-97 , pl. 3, fig. 1.

Synonyms:

Latiaxis helenae Azuma, 1973: 231 , fig. 1.

Latiaxis nakamigawai io Kilburn, 1974: 201, fig. 12a.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Rapana (Latiaxis) fusiformis : holotype ZMB 61037, figured by Kosuge & Suzuki (1985: pl. 28, fig. 7) . — Latiaxis helenae : holotype Azuma coll. no. 15944 [not seen]. — Latiaxis nakamigawai io: holotype NM A989 , figured by Kosuge & Suzuki (1985: pl. 28, fig. 6) .

TYPE LOCALITY. — R. (Latiaxis) fusiformis : “Ost-Afrika”, Valdivia [Expedition], “Stat. [no.] 254, 974 m ”, south of Brawa (0°29’S, 42°47’E), Somalia. — Latiaxis helenae : fifty miles off Inhaca Islands, S. Mozambique Channel, 494 m [270 fms]. — L. nakamigawai io: off Durban, South Africa, in 150 fathoms [274.3 m].

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — New Caledonia proper. BATHUS 2: stn Coral Sea. MUSORSTOM 5: stn 362, 19°53’S, 158°40’E, 410 m, DW 731, Passe de Kouaré , 22°49’S, 166°45’E, 300-370 m, 1 dd. 1 dd; stn 361, Plateau des Chesterfield, 19°53’S, 158°38’E, 400 Norfolk Ridge. NORFOLK 1: stn CP 1676, Banc Kaimon-Maru, m, 1 dd; stn 372, 19°53’S, 158°39’E, 400 m, 1 dd .

24°43’S, 168°09’E, 227-232 m, 1 dd. Loyalty Ridge. MUSORSTOM 6: stn DW 391, 20°47’S, 167°06’E,

FIGS 61-72. Teleoconchs of Babelomurex . 61, B. japonicus (Dunker,1882) , BATHUS 4 stn CP 955, H 25.7 mm 13.0 mm; 62, same data, H 13.0 mm. 63, 64, B. cf. nakamigawai (Kuroda, 1959) , MUSORSTOM 8 stn CP 971, H 27.9 mm; 65, 66, B. depressispiratus n. sp.; 65, paratype MNHN 20216, SMIB 8 stn DW 197-199, H 11.8 mm; 66, holotype MNHN 20210, BIOCAL stn DW 37, H 10.0 mm. 67, 68, B. fusiformis ( Martens, 1902) ; 67, BORDAU 1 stn CP 1476, H 15.4 mm; 68, Somalia, deep waters, unknown depth ( LB coll.), H 13.0 mm. 69, B. nakamigawai (Kuroda, 1959) NSMT (ex Kawamura coll.), Tosa Bay, Japan, H 41.4 mm. 70, B. fusiformis ( Martens, 1902) , Mozambique channel, deep prawn fishing boats, deep waters, unknown depth ( MO coll), H 69.5 mm. 71, 72, Babelomurex cf. mediopacificus ( Kosuge, 1979) ; 71, SMIB 8 stn DW 166, H 40.4 mm; 72, LITHIST stn DW 07, H 26.3 mm.

390 m, 1 dd; stn DW 459, 21°0l’S, 167°31’E, 425 m, 1 dd; stn 322 m, 1 dd.

DW 481, 21°22’S, 167°50’E, 300 m, 1 dd (Fig. 170); stn DW Madagascar. Off Morondawa, in 600-800 m, several dozens dd 487, 21°23’S, 167°46’E, 500 m, 1 dd. ( MO, and other private collections), 4 lv ( MO).

Vanuatu. MUSORSTOM 8: stn DW 972, 19°22’S, 168°28’E, Mozambique Channel. From deep sea prawn fishing boats, 487-507, 1 dd. undetermined depth, 4 lv, 7 dd ( MO) (Fig; 70).

Fiji. BORDAU 1: stn CP 1476, 19°41’S, 178°11’W, 310-420 m, South Africa. Natal, trawled, 200 m, 2 dd, ( MO, obtained from 1 dd (Fig. 67). a dealer).

Tonga. BORDAU 2: stn DW 1634, 21°45’S, 175°20’W, 321-

DISTRIBUTION. — Indian Ocean: Natal, South Africa ( Kosuge 1992), Somalia ( Kosuge 1993). Pacific Ocean: Coral Sea, Norfolk Ridge, Loyalty Ridge, Fiji, Tonga and New Hebrides Arc, live in 450-508 m, empty shells in 232- 620 m.

REMARKS. — Protoconch (partly eroded, examined in a single specimen) of 2+ whorls, 760 µm wide at the base. Sculpture hardly visible, of 2 spiral keels with nodulose axial threads. Protoconch absent in all types, those of a few specimens (not types) from East Africa seem multispiral, congruent with the present material. Kosuge & Suzuki (1985) treated B. fusiformis as a synonym of B. helenae and Kosuge & Meyer (1999) synonymyzed B. helenae and B. kawamurai (Kira, 1959) . Tsuchiya (2000: 407, pl. 202, fig. 228) figured under B. nakamigawai Kuroda a specimen with strong similarities to typical B. fusiformis , but the lack of protoconch in the types precludes a definitive decision. It is possible that all these names refer to a single rather variable species. East African material contains all intermediates between the extreme morphotypes. Unfortunately, the protoconch (partly eroded) has been examined only in a few shells of the fusiformis type. Martens’ name is here maintained pending a revision of the B. japonicus species group, which must include analysis of protoconchs over a large geographic range and possibly also the use of molecular markers. Taxa described from very distant areas belong in the group – including B. helenae , B. fusiformis , B. nakamigawai io, from the western Indian Ocean, B. kawamurai and B. nakamigawai , from the Pacific Ocean, B. sentix (Bayer, 1971) from the Atlantic Ocean – and a definitive assessment of their taxonomy would have a great influence on the description and understanding of biogeographic patterns of coralliophilines. The name Latiaxis tortilis A. Adams, 1867 is sometimes used in collections (and dealer lists) for East African shells of this group, but this is a synonym of Mipus gyratus Hinds, 1844 .