Conus (Asprella) samiae da Motta, 1982

Figs 2, 52L, N

Conus samiae da Motta, 1982: 12, fig. 11.

Conus sulcatus f. samiae – R̂ckel et al. 1995b: pl. 47 figs 14–16.

Asprella sulcata f. samiae – Tucker & Tenorio 2013: 357.

Asprella samiae – Monnier et al. 2018a: 615.

Material examined

1 lot (1 specimen).

Type material

Holotype PHILIPPINES • 57.4 mm; off Balut Island, Mindanao; ca 200 m depth; MHNG MOLL-138917.

Figured material

NEW CALEDONIA • 53.9 mm; Norfolk Ridge, Munida, off New Caledonia, stn DW3106; 23°02′ S, 168°21′ E; 180‒220 m depth; 27 Oct. 2008; TERRASSES expedition; MNHN-IM-2007-34858 (Fig. 52L, N) .

Geographical distribution and bathymetry

Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands, at depths between 20 to 240 m. In New Caledonia there is one single live record from Norfolk Ridge at depths between 180‒ 220 m.

Remarks

Shell medium to moderately large (maximum shell length 70 mm), broadly conical, with a low to moderate spire of concave profile. Shoulder with coarse nodules. Radular tooth (Fig. 52N) narrow and elongated with the anterior section slightly shorter than the posterior section. The tooth is serrated with 12–15 small denticles arranged in one single row, becoming two rows below. There is a small, rounded terminating cusp. Barb well marked. Blade rounded and short, covering about 35–40% of the anterior section of the tooth. Small basal spur pointing upwards on top of the base. Only one single live specimen has been sampled. In the phylogeny (Fig. 2), this species appears sister to C. fijisulcatus . However, in a phylogeny with a more extended sampling, it appears sister to a clade which includes several other species within Asprella such as Conus (Asprella) sulcatus Hwass in Bruguière, 1792, C. (A.) rolani R̂ckel, 1986, and the recently described C. (A.) neocostatus Olivera, Watkins, Puillandre & Tenorio, 2021 .