Turbonilla virgulinoi, S, Absalão, Ricardo Silva, Santos, Franklin Noel & Oliveira, Deusinete, 2003

S, Absalão, Ricardo Silva, Santos, Franklin Noel & Oliveira, Deusinete, 2003, Five new species of Turbonilla Risso, 1826 (Gastropoda, Heterobranchia, Pyramidellidae) found off the northeast coast of Brazil º­ 13 º, Zootaxa 235, pp. 1-11 : 3

Turbonilla virgulinoi n. sp. ( Figs. 1­3 )

Description: Shell small, slightly conical to subcylindrical; color white. Teleoconch whorls semi­pyriform in profile. Suture moderately deep, rendered somewhat sinuous by rib projections. Protoconch heterostrophic planispiral; diameter 244 m in holotype. Axial ribs slender, orthocline, slightly sinuous; 16 on body whorl of holotype not ending abruptly at periphery of last whorl; interspaces twice width of ribs. Spiral sculpture formed by about 18 rows of rectangular, moderately deep furrows of somewhat irregular width and spacing. Base rounded, with about 10­12 thin spiral cords. Axial ribs extend a short distance onto base. Aperture pyriform. Columella somewhat arcuate, without a fold. Outer lip thin. No umbilical fissure.

Dimensions: Holotype with 4.5 teleoconch whorls; height 1.8 mm; width 0.6 mm.

Type material: Holotype: MNRJ 9823; Paratypes: IBUFRJ 12700; MORG 41055, all except holotype (see below) 06º57’38”S, 34º29’22”W, #7 REVIZEE, 750 m depth, Rv. “Natureza” coll., off Paraíba State, 29/xi/2001.

Type locality: 08º46’01”S, 34º44’02”W, #23 REVIZEE, 690 m depth, Rv. “Natureza” coll., off Pernambuco State, northeast coast of Brazil, 18/xi/2001.

Distribution: Known only from the coasts of Pernambuco and Paraíba States.

Etymology: The species is named after Virgulino Ferreira, a partisan leader from northeastern Brazil in the early 20th century, who fought against local government oppression.

Remarks: The semi­pyriform profile is shared by only a few species known from the western Atlantic. Among these, the most similar species is Turbonilla arnoldoi Jong & Coomans, 1988 : pl. 20, fig. 675, which resembles T. virgulinoi in shell shape, type, and number of ribs, but differs in its spiral ornamentation. Turbonilla arnoldoi has only a few spiral cords, mainly confined to the anterior portion of the whorls; while T. virgulinoi has many spiral rows of rectangular, moderately deep furrows evenly distributed over the entire whorls. Turbonilla elegans ( d’Orbigny, 1842: tab. XVI, figs. 25, 27) is similar in form to these two taxa but is larger and like T. arnoldoi has its spirals restricted anteriorly and possesses a columellar plait not seen in T. virgulinoi . Odé (1996) suggested the synonymy between T. arnoldoi and T. elegans , but as we were not able to examine the type of T. elegans we prefer to recognize the two taxa.

Figures

FIGURES 1 ­ 7. 1 ­ 3. Turbonilla virgulinoi n. sp., holotype (MNRJ 9823). 1: whole shell, length 1.8 mm; 2: base detail; 3: protoconch detail. Scale bar = 100 µm. 4 ­ 7. Turbonilla megascymna n. sp., holotype (IBUFRJ 12703). 4: whole shell, length 2.3 mm; 5: protoconch detail; 6: base detail; 7: spiral micro­sculpture. Scale bar = 100 µm.