Buccinaria nodosa, Morassi & Bonfitto, 2010

Morassi, M. & Bonfitto, A., 2010, New raphitomine gastropods (Gastropoda: Conidae: Raphitominae) from the South-West Pacific, Zootaxa 2526, pp. 54-68 : 65-66

Buccinaria nodosa new species

Figures 3. N–U

Type material: Holotype MNHN 22311 . Paratypes: 5 MNHN 22312 , 1 MZB 45716, 1 ZRC 2977.

Type locality: Solomon Islands, 9°21.4" N 160°23.9 "E, 357–359 m [SALOMON 1, stn. CP 1800] .

Material examined: Solomon Islands: 9°21.4" N 160°23.9 "E, 357–359 m [SALOMON 1, sta. CP 1800] (holotype MNHN and 1 paratype MZB) ; 9°21.3" N 160°24.6 "E, 387 m [sta. CP 1786] (1 paratypes MNHN) ;

9°21.8" N 159°58 "E, 357–359 m, [sta. CP 1747] (4 paratypes MNHN); 9°21.0"N–160°29.2"E, 513–564 m, [sta. CP 1798] (1 paratype ZRC) .

Description: Shell broadly biconic (b/l 0.54–0.60; a/l 0.43–0.50), small but stout. Teleoconch consisting of 4.8–5 whorls sharply angled at lower third of whorl height on early two whorls, at or near middle on subsequent ones. Last whorl broadly and shallowly excavated with a rather short neck. Whorls separated by a moderately deep, strongly undulating suture, margined by a prominent subsutural fold. Sutural ramp relatively broad, strongly concave. Axial sculpture consisting of prominent, opisthocline ribs extending from lower suture to shoulder angle on spire, extending across base but not onto neck on last whorl. Ribs of roundedtriangular cross-section, with wider interspaces. There are 13–16 ribs on penultimate whorl, 15–17 on last whorl. Subsutural fold bearing a row of tubercles more numerous than axial ribs. Whorl surface covered by relatively coarse collabral growth lines, more evident on sutural ramp. Spiral sculpture consisting of low, broad cords forming conspicuous nodules at points of intersection with axial ribs. Earlier whorls with a peripheral cord forming the shoulder angle, joined on penultimate whorl by a weaker cord anteriorly; last whorl with 1–2 cords below the peripheral one. Nodules sharp and prominent on peripheral cord, more rounded on other spiral cords. Sutural ramp strongly declivous, sculptured on later whorls by two spiral threads, the lowermost developed into a cord in some specimens. Base sculptured with 10–15 spirals consisting of 6–9 primary cords and 1–2 secondary cords or threads in interstices between them. Aperture pyriform; columella almost straight above, curved to left below. Labial callus relatively thick over columella, sculptured by microscopic rows of prickly nodules in its interior part (fig. 3R). Siphonal canal broad, poorly differentiated from aperture. Outer lip evenly convex with a very weak anal sinus. Protoconch papilliform of about 1.5 whorls with minute, dense spiral threads rendered granulose where crossed by even finer axial threads; last whorl with a few close, arcuate, axial plicules near termination. Protoconch diameter: 0.48–0.54 mm. Teleoconch white, protoconch yellowish-beige.

Dimensions: Holotype 5.8 x 3.5 mm, aperture height 2.9 mm; largest Paratype 7.6 x 4.3 mm, aperture height 3.6 mm.

Remarks: Previous authors ( Maxwell 1988; Shuto 1971) have tentatively assigned two Acanthodaphne species , Pleurotomella abbreviata and Puha pusula , to Buccinaria Kittl, 1887 . Conversely, the species here described closely resembles Acanthodaphne in the type of ornamentation, but other characters such as shell outline and apertural features (in particular the extremely weak anal sinus) suggest that it is better assigned to Buccinaria . Buccinaria nodosa is readily distinguished from its congeners in its much smaller size, coarser sculpture and paucispiral protoconch (figs. 3S–U).

Etymology: Latin nodosus (bearing nodes) alluding to the shell ornamentation.