Alvania cancapae Bouchet & Warén, 1993

Oliver, Joan Daniel, Gofas, Serge, Urgorri, Victoriano, Díaz-Agras, Guillermo & Templado, José, 2022, Rissoidae gastropods of the outer continental shelf and slope off Galicia (NW Spain), Zootaxa 5196 (1), pp. 1-45 : 20-21

Alvania cancapae Bouchet & Warén, 1993

( Fig. 12 )

Material examined. (2 empty shells in the same sample): SPAIN • 2 sh; 44° 14.929′N, 008° 30.255′W to 44° 15.367′N, 008° 30.438′W; 2121–2516 m; 15–24 Jul. 2008; A SELVA AT-12 .

Remarks. Alvania cancapae is a variable species known from off southern Morocco and off Madeira and Canary islands in the depth range 270–2000 m ( Bouchet & Warén, 1993; Hoenselaar & Goud, 1998) with stronger sculpture in shallower specimens. The two shells (of about 2.0 x 1.3 mm) found in one of the samples (collected deeper than 2000 m) have a weak axial sculpture ( Fig. 12a ), with very thin spiral threads narrower than interspaces overrunning the axial ribs ( Figs. 12e, f ), and faint spiral cords on the periumbilical area of the body whorl, but hardly visible on the spire. Protoconch of the shells studied of 1.25 convex whorls ( Figs. 12b, c ) whose surface is covered by minute granules ( Fig. 12d ).

This species resembles to Alvania adinogramma Bouchet & Warén, 1993 , Alvania microstriata Hoenselaar & Goud, 1998 and Alavania seinensis Gofas, 2007 , a group which seems restricted to the Lusitanian seamounts and Madeira ( Gofas 2007). The present records represent a northward range extension of the species.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Alvania cancapae Bouchet & Warén, 1993 (SE: AT12). a Shell (2.0 m); b–c Protoconch in lateral and apical view; d Detail of microsculpture of the protoconch; e–f Detail of microsculpture of the teleoconch.