Leucosyrinx mai, Li, Baoquan & Li, Xinzheng, 2008

Li, Baoquan & Li, Xinzheng, 2008, Report on the two subfamilies Clavatulinae and Cochlespirinae (Mollusca: Neogastropoda: Turridae) from the China seas, Zootaxa 1771, pp. 31-42 : 37

Leucosyrinx mai sp. nov. ( Figures 5, 6 )

Height Width Apertureheight W/H A/H 27.0 9.0 13.5 0.333 0.5 Description. Shell small to medium size, 27 mm in height, elongate-fusiform, with tall spire and moderately long straight, unnotched anterior canal. Spire almost equal to or slightly taller than height of aperture plus canal. Whorls about 7.5, apex eroded away; spire whorls sharply carinated at middle of each whorl, forming wide, steeply descending shoulder slope and wide, steeply increasing area under peripheral carina; shoul- der wide, nearly smooth, apart from some fine spiral threads and subsutural spiral cords, four distinct spiral cords present between peripheral carina and lower suture; axially pointed tubercles on peripheral carina rather than short oblique folds, 14-16 per whorl. On body whorl, 16 distinct evenly spaced threads covering remain- der of base, neck; anterior canal smooth. Shell surface sculptured with fine growth lines apart from tubercles on peripheral carina. Aperture elongate-ovate, outer lip very thin, broken; sinus very deep, broad, U-shaped, occupying whole shoulder slope under suture, confluent below with great forward swing of outer lip. Colour uniformly white.

Distribution. Only known from the type locality, Nansha Islands.

Etymology. The specific name is given in honor of Chinese conchologist, Mr. Xiutong Ma (1912-1999), for his contribution to the taxonomic research on Chinese mollusks.

Remarks. The holotype collected in deep water (1241 m) from the Nansha Islands is badly eroded on the apex and outer lip, however, its specific characters are clear. Leucosyrinx mai is similar to L. julia Thiele, 1925 in shell features, but can be distinguished from the latter by the sharp carina at the middle of each spire whorl; in L. julia the spire whorls are sharply angulated at about lower third of whorl height (see Powell, 1969: 338, pl. 257, figs. 4, 5).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. 1, Makiyamaia coreanica (CN Ky 4 B- 105); 2, Turricula sumatrana (CN E 35 B- 31); 3, 4, Nihonia santosi (CN V 521 B- 21); 5, 6, Leucosyrinx mai sp. nov. (holotype); 7, Comitas parvifusiformis sp. nov. (holotype); 8, same, enlarged protoconch.