Boonea Robertson, 1978

Pimenta, Alexandre Dias, Absalão, Ricardo Silva & Miyaji, Cintia, 2009, A taxonomic review of the genera Boonea, Chrysallida, Parthenina, Ivara, Fargoa, Mumiola, Odostomella and Trabecula (Gastropoda, Pyramidellidae, Odostomiinae) from Brazil, Zootaxa 2049, pp. 39-66 : 44

Genus Boonea Robertson, 1978

Boonea Robertson, 1978: 364 . Type species by original designation: Jaminia seminuda C. B. Adams, 1839 , Recent, Dartmouth Harbor, Massachusetts.

Remarks: The genus Boonea was described by Robertson (1978), who distinguished it from related genera, Odostomia , Chrysallida and Fargoa , based on a comparative scheme of protoconch, operculum and some anatomical and reproductive characters. According to his studies, Boonea and Fargoa differ from Chrysallida and Odostomia in having operculu without internal process, female pore on neck, sperm transferred in spermatophores, excurrent siphon well developed, among others (for more details, see Robertson (1978)). Boonea and Fargoa were distinguished by size and shape of spermatophore, shape of protoconch, host preference, among others.

Latter, Odé (1993b) considered Chrysallida as a subgenus of Boonea , although Chrysallida has priority and Mienes (1994), more logically considering the priority of Chrysallida , considered Boonea a subgenus of Chrysallida . Although Robertson (1978) did not include the type species of Chrysallida , additional anatomical studies on other species from the western Atlantic ( Wise, 1993, 1996, 2001; Robertson 1996) supported the validity of the genera Boonea , Fargoa and Chrysallida .

There are three species of Boonea (although as a subgenus of Odostomia ) previously reported from Brazil: O. (B.) bisuturalis ( Say, 1822) , O. (B.) impressa ( Say, 1822) and O. (B.) seminuda . Herein, we confirm the presence of B. seminuda , include B. jadisi ( Olsson & McGinty, 1958) , and describe a new species (see discussions below).

We consider the records of O. (B.) bisuturalis and O. (B.) impressa from Brazil very doubtful because they appear to be based on misidentifications. All records of B. bisuturali s (type locality Boston Harbor, U.S.A.) (holotype, Fig. 1 ) from Brazil are accompanied by descriptions and illustrations that do not help in determining the accuracy of the identifications that led to their records. For example, Rios (1985, 1994) recorded this species from the state of Santa Catarina, without illustrating a specimen collected in Brazil, but rather reproducing the drawing of the holotype by Bartsch (1909). Mello (1990) and Barros (1994b) recorded the species from the state of Pernambuco, but the photograph of their specimens does not permit verification of the shell characters. We were unsuccessful in locating the specimens that gave rise to the above records, and therefore we cannot confirm or reject the identification. However, after comparing all of the material that we examined from different localities along the Brazilian coast, including those localities reported by Rios (1985, 1994) and Barros (1994b) with the holotype of B. bisuturalis (ANSP 19982) ( Fig. 1 ), we did not find any shell that could be identified as B. bisuturalis . For these reasons, we conclude that B. bisturalis is not present along the Brazilian coast.

The records of B. impressa by Rios (1975, 1994) from Rio de Janeiro were supported by a reproduction of the photo from Vokes and Vokes (1983: pl. 30, fig. 10), while those from northeast Brazil ( Barros, 1994a, b) were supported by poor illustrations or by no illustrations at all, so we could not confirm these identifications. We did not examine the types, but did examine shells from the type locality (Maryland, U.S.A.; MNRJ HSL4828); we illustrate an exemplar from Florida, U.S.A. (ANSP 220740) ( Fig. 2 ). Among the numerous pyramidellid shells that we have examined since the beginning of our studies on this family, we did not find any shell that could be identified as B. impressa in Brazil.

Figures

FIGURE 1 – 8. 1. Holotype of Boonea bisuturalis (ANSP 19982) (length: 3.6 mm). 2. Shell of Boonea impressa (ANSP 220740) (length: 4.6 mm). 3 − 8. Boonea jadisi: 3. holotype (ANSP 211916); 4 − 8 (MNRJ 10964); 3 − 5. whole shells (lengths: 3: 3.5 mm; 4: 2.8 mm; 5: 2.2 mm); 6 − 7. protoconchs; 8. last whorl. Scale bars: 6 − 7: 100 Μm; 8: 500 Μm.