Liotipoma splendida, Mclean, 2012

Mclean, James Hamilton, 2012, New species and genera of colloniids from Indo-Pacific coral reefs, with the definition of a new subfamily Liotipomatinae n. subfam. (Turbinoidea, Colloniidae), Zoosystema 34 (2), pp. 343-376 : 366

Liotipoma splendida n. sp.

( Fig. 13 A-D)

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype:MONTROUZIER expedition, stn 1269, New Caledonia, Doiman Reef , Touhou Sector, 20°35.1’S, 165°08.1’E, 15-20 m, diving team, IX.1993, 1 specimen,H 3.2, D 5.1 mm ( MNHN 24772 , Fig.13 A-D).

TYPE LOCALITY. — New Caledonia, Doiman Reef.

DISTRIBUTION. — Known only from holotype.

ETYMOLOGY. — After the Latin noun, “splendidus”.

DESCRIPTION

Male shell ( Fig. 13 A-D)

Whorls 3.3; profile moderately high for genus; peripheral angulation high on whorl, shoulder ramp nearly flat above, profile below shoulder evenly rounded. Axial sculpture of strong ribs, 33 on last whorl; spinose and projecting in early whorls, spinosity much diminished in final third whorl. Spiral sculpture of single strong, low cord on shoulder in early whorls, changing to three narrow cords in final ⅓ whorl; base with strong subtending cord, and three cords of nearly equal strength between peripheral cord and subtending cord. Base with deep pits on outer side of subtending cord and other basal cords. Umbilicus bordered by broad, angular emergent cord, overridden by narrow axial ribs; umbilicus partially open, partially obstructed by emergent tongue of lip; tongue extending forward of plane of aperture. Final lip massive, extending for ⅓ of final quarter whorl, showing about twenty successively decreasing layers of deposition, lip conforming to spiral sculpture; tongue extending half the diameter of aperture on previous whorl, showing similar layers of deposition decreasing in extent; plane of aperture coinciding with umbilical wall. H 3.2, D 5.1 mm (holotype).

Female shell

Unknown.

Operculum

Unknown.

REMARKS

This species is characterised by the moderately large size, high count of axial ribs, its strongly developed clathrate sculpture, and in having the tongue out of alignment with the plane of the aperture, projecting strongly forward of the aperture so that it does not block the open umbilicus. Although the umbilicus is open, access to the umbilicus is blocked, so this is not a female shell.

The closest comparison is with L. magna n. sp. ( Figs 8 ; 9 ), which is larger and has the apertural tongue pointed along the plane of the aperture and the coiling axis, rather than projecting forward.

Figures

FIG. 13.— A-D, Liotipoma splendida n. sp.holotype,male shell (MNHN 24772,stn 1269), Doiman Reef,Touhou Sector,New Caledonia, 15-20 m, H 3.2, D 5.1 mm; E-H, Liotipoma clausa n. sp. Holotype, immature male shell (LACM 3110, stn 91-189), Herald Pass, Great Astrolabe Reef, Fiji, 15 m, H 3.0, D 4.2 mm. Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIG. 8. — Liotipoma magna n. sp., male shells: A-D, holotype (MNHN 24766, stn DS103), off W side Tutuba Island, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu,70-80 m, H 3.6, D 6.8 mm; E-H, Paratype (MNHN 24767, stn DS104),80 m off W side Tutuba Island,Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu, H 3.4, D 5.3 mm. Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIG. 9. — Liotipoma magna n. sp., female shells: A-D, paratype (MNHN 24768,stn DS105), off NW side Tutuba Island, Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu,92 m,H 3.6, D 5.7 mm;E-G, paratype,off W side Tutuba Island (MNHN 24769,stn DS105),off NW side Tutuba Island,Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu, 92 m, H 3.4, D 5.3 mm. Scale bars: 1 mm.