Genus Oxymeris Dall, 1903

(Fig. 6 F–H)

Type species: Buccinum maculatum Linnaeus, 1758; OD.

Synonyms: Abretia H. & A. Adams, 1853 (invalid, junior homonym of Abretia Rafinesque, 1814; type species Terebra cerithina Lamarck, 1822; SD, Dall, 1908); Abretiella Bartsch, 1923 (replacement name for Abretia H. & A. Adams, 1853; type species Terebra cerithina Lamarck, 1822; by typification of replaced name); Nototerebra Cotton, 1947 (type species Terebra albida Gray, 1834; OD).

Definition: Includes all species in clade B of Modica et al. (2019), and those that show a combination of conchological, anatomical and distribution features closely comparable with Oxymeris maculata or any genetically proven member of the clade.

Diagnosis: Diagnostic nucleotide combinations in Table 5.

Shell: Medium-sized to large, reaching 273 mm; weakly sculptured, typically with orthoconoid spire and rather wide aperture. Protoconch multispiral, 3–3.75 whorls. Sculpture of subsutural band, smooth or with regular crenulations; juvenile sculpture often consisting of axial ribs. Whorls flattened in outline; last adult whorl inflated; siphonal canal short, stout. Aperture wide, elliptic to rounded.

Anatomy: Rhynchodeal introvert very large, proboscis absent or vestigial, salivary glands absent or very small, radula venom gland and accessory proboscis structure absent.

Distribution: Indo-Pacific, tropical East Pacific, West Africa.

Remarks: Species of Oxymeris are among the largest terebrids and can usually be easily identified by their large, shiny shells, with an orthoconoid or even slightly acuminate spire, often with a bulbous last whorl, a very wide aperture and a very short siphonal canal separated from the shell base by a deep groove. Nevertheless, some smaller species (e.g. O. cerithina) have a spire with convex sides and superficially resemble medium-sized Punctoterebra and Myurella species. However, in most cases (except O. crenulata), the Oxymeris species can be recognized by the complete lack of axial sculpture other than growth lines, while axial elements of varying strength and shape are present in Punctoterebra, Myurella and most other terebrid genera. Finally, widely spaced deep spiral grooves differentiate Perirhoe from Oxymeris .

Included species:

Oxymeris albida (Gray, 1834) 2;

O. areolata (Link, 1807) 1;

O. barbieri (Aubry, 2008) 2;

O. caledonica (G. B. Sowerby III, 1909) 1;

O. cerithina (Lamarck, 1822) 1;

O. chlorata (Lamarck, 1822) 1;

O. consors (Hinds, 1844) 1;

O. crenulata (Linnaeus, 1758) 1;

O. dillwynii (Deshayes, 1859) 2;

O. dimidiata (Linnaeus, 1758) 1;

O. fatua (Hinds, 1844) 2;

O. felina (Dillwyn, 1817) 1;

O. gouldi (Deshayes, 1857) 2;

O. lineopunctata (Bozzetti, 2008) 2;

O. maculata (Linnaeus, 1758) 1;

O. ngai Thach, 20162;

O. senegalensis (Lamarck, 1822) 2;

O. strigata (G. B. Sowerby I, 1825) 1;

O. suffusa (Pease, 1869) 2;

O. swinneni Terryn & Ryall, 20142;

O. trochlea (Deshayes, 1857) 2;

O. troendlei (Bratcher, 1981) 1.