Babelomurex cf. mediopacificus ( Kosuge, 1979 )

Oliverio, Marco, 2008, Coralliophilinae (Neogastropoda: Muricidae) from the southwest Pacific, Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle 196, pp. 481-586 : 526-527

Babelomurex cf. mediopacificus ( Kosuge, 1979)

Figs 71, 72

Latiaxis (Lamellatiaxis) mediopacifica Kosuge, 1979: 3 , pl. 2, figs 1-3.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype IMT-79-1 [not seen], figured also by Kosuge & Suzuki (1985: pl. 21, fig. 13, pl. 32, figs 3-4).

TYPE LOCALITY. — Off Midway Island (about 400 m depth) .

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Coral Sea. MUSORSTOM 5: stn 380, stn DW 150, 24°54’S, 168°22’E, 519-530 m, 1 dd; stn DW 152, Plateau des Chesterfield, 19°38’S, 158°44’E, 555-570 m, 1 dd. 24°54’S, 168°22’E, 514-530 m, 1 dd; stn DW 166, 23°38’S, Norfolk Ridge. BIOCAL: stn DW 66, 24°55’S, 168°22’E, 505- 167°43’E, 433-450 m, 1 lv (Fig. 71) . — LITHIST: stn DW 07, 515 m, 1 dd. — SMIB 8: stn DW 147, 24°55’S, 168°22’E, 508- 24°55’S, 168°22’E, 504-530 m, 1 lv (Fig. 72), 1 dd. — CHAL- 532 m, 1 lv; stn DW 149, 24°55’S, 168°22’E, 508-510 m, 1 dd; CAL 2: stn CC 1, 24°55’S, 168°22’E, 500 m, 1 dd; stn DW 76,

23°41’S, 167°45’E, 470 m, 1 dd. — SMIB 3: stn DW 2, 24°53’S, New Hebrides Arc.VOLSMAR: stn DW 5, Hunter and Matthew 168°22’E, 530-537 m, 1 dd . — NORFOLK 1: stn DW 1707, Islands , 22°26’S, 171°46’E, 620-700 m, 1 dd .

23°43’S, 168°16’E, 381-493 m, 1 dd.

DISTRIBUTION. — Babelomurex mediopacificus was previously known only from the type locality, Midway Island (stated as having been collected by a Japanese deep sea coral fishing boat in 1973, at about 400 m depth), and has only very recently been recorded from the Austral Islands , with empty shells in 270-800 m (Oliverio, unpublished). If present records are confirmed to be conspecific, the range is extended to the Coral Sea , Norfolk Ridge and New Hebrides Arc, live in 450-508 m, empty shells down to 700 m.

REMARKS. — The present shells recall the extreme morphotypes that in the Indian Ocean are commonly named B. helenae (here considered a synonym of B. fusiformis , see above). The Pacific materials herein studied, however, belong clearly to two distinct species. The present one is distinguished from the typical B. fusiformis by its lamellar axial sculpture, the angulate base and the enlarged aperture. These features are concordant with the original specimens of Babelomurex mediopacificus from Midway, except that the sculpture of several specimens in the present material is somewhat stronger. The recent record of B. mediopacificus from the Austral Islands (Oliverio, unpublished) supports the idea of a wider range for this species.