Nihonia mirabilis ( Sowerby, 1914 )

Li, Baoquan & Li, Xinzheng, 2008, Report on the two subfamilies Clavatulinae and Cochlespirinae (Mollusca: Neogastropoda: Turridae) from the China seas, Zootaxa 1771, pp. 31-42 : 39-40

Nihonia mirabilis ( Sowerby, 1914) (Figure 15)

Pleurotoma (Surcula) mirabilis Sowerby, 1914: 445 , pl. 18, fig. 1.

Nihonia mirabilis ( Sowerby, 1914) . Powell, 1969: 331, pl. 192, fig. 15, pl. 254, figs. 3, 4.

Material examined. ECS. (1). 1 spm, CN V519B-62, 27 °30'N, 124°00'E, 105 m, fine sand, AT, coll. Zhican TANG, 27 August 1976; (2). 1 spm, CN V577B-23, 29 °32'N, 127°30'E, 117 m, fine sand, AT, 29 June 1978; (3). 1 spm, CN V571B-28, 26 °28'N, 123°00'E, 120 m, coarse sand and shell debris, AT, coll. Shaozong WU, 11 June 1978.

Measurements (mm)

* Nihonia santosi Shuto, 1969 ( Figures 3, 4 )

Nihonia santosi Shuto, 1969: 186 , text fig. 34, pl. 19, figs. 18, 19, 21; Powell, 1969: 332, pl. 254a.

Length Width Aperture W/L A/L 20.2 5.7 11.1 0.28 0.55 FIGURES 9–15. 9, Turricula javana (CN 56-818-1); 10, 11, Turricula nelliae spurius (CN 56-818-2); 12, 13, Marshallena philippinarum (CN SSBV22-5); 14, Nihonia australis (CN 58M-327-1); 15, Nihonia mirabilis (CN V577B-23).

Distribution. ECS; Philippines.

Remarks. The specimen agrees well with the descriptions of Shuto (1969) in detail, with exception of the shell height and number of teleoconch-whorls. The height is only 20.2 mm, much shorter than the 78 mm of the holotype and the 69.4 mm of the paratype. The number of the teleoconch-whorls is seven, less than the “more than eight” in the holotype. The present specimen seems a juvenile. This species was not previously recorded from the China seas.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. 1, Makiyamaia coreanica (CN Ky 4 B- 105); 2, Turricula sumatrana (CN E 35 B- 31); 3, 4, Nihonia santosi (CN V 521 B- 21); 5, 6, Leucosyrinx mai sp. nov. (holotype); 7, Comitas parvifusiformis sp. nov. (holotype); 8, same, enlarged protoconch.