Panacca loveni (Jeffreys, 1882)

Fig. 9 j–l

Pholadomya loveni Jeffreys, 1882 [a] (p. 934, pl. 70, fig. 7).

Pholadomya loveni loveni Jeffreys, 1881 — Nordsieck 1969 (p. 158, pl. 23, fig. 92.00). Pholadomya loveni Jeffreys, 1882 — Poppe & Goto 1993 (p. 135, pl. 24, fig. 12); Repetto et al. 2005 (p. 349, bottom left fig.). Panacca loveni (Jeffreys, 1882) — Oliver et al. 2016 (online resource).

Diagnostic characters. Thin, trapezoidal shell; posterior ventral gape; short, subtruncate posterior side; long anterior side with rounded margin; subhorizontal and twisted resilial socket; irregular, wavy radial ribs over the mid-valve; minute pustules throughout, often arranged in radial rows. Prodissoconch: shell type ST-2C; length about 220 µm (P-1 about 180 µm); roundish outline; low convex profile; P-1 surface weakly rough; P-1/P-2 boundary step-like; P-2 narrow and flattened, with few commarginal lines; transition to the nepioconch distinct.

Remarks. The specimens figured by Oliver et al. (2010) have a trigonal, wedge-shaped outline markedly different from the original figure by Jeffreys (1882). They are otherwise identical to our specimens. We regard this shape discrepancy as intraspecific variability, therefore.

Occurrence. Box-corer samples BC05 (3 specimens), BC11 (1), BC66 (3), BC70 (1), BC72 (4); cores BC05 (2), BC21 (6), BC51 (1), BC67 (1), BC72 (4). Maximum length: 30 mm.

Distribution and habitat. Panacca loveni is commonly found at shelf depths and down to 2000 m in the Azores and Mediterranean waters, being very rare in northern seas where it reachs the intertidal zone (Poppe & Goto 1993; Oliver et al. 2016).

Fossil record. Bathyal Pleistocene of Sardinia (Di Geronimo & Bellagamba 1985).