Coralliophila abnormis (Smith, 1878)

Oliverio, Marco, 2008, Coralliophilinae (Neogastropoda: Muricidae) from the southwest Pacific, Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle 196, pp. 481-586 : 495

Coralliophila abnormis (Smith, 1878)

Fig. 11

Fusus abnormis Smith, 1878: 811-812 , pl. 50, fig. 10.

Synonyms:

Latiaxis chiangi Lan, 1982: 23 , fig. 1.

Coralliophila armeniaca D’Attilio & Myers, 1984: 89 , figs 21-24.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Fusus abnormis : holotype BMNH 1878.6 .10.17, figured By Kosuge & Suzuki (1985, pl. 39, fig. 1) and Higo et al. (2001: 66, fig. G2403) . — Latiaxis chiangi : holotype, National Museum of Natural History , Tai Chung MT8218 [not seen] . — Coralliophila armeniaca : holotype SDSHN 79507 [not seen], and 14 paratypes SDSHN 79504a-j [not seen], AMNH 213803 a-b, USNM 819634 a-b .

TYPE LOCALITY. — F. abnormis: Andaman Islands , off Port Blair . — L. chiangi : Bohol Island , Philippines . — C. armeniaca : Bohol Straits , in 75 m.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Coral Sea. CORAIL 2: stn DW 146, stn 535, 19°11’S, 163°25’E, 46 m, 11 dd; stn 1009, Secteur de Plateau des Chesterfield , 19°37’S, 158°16’E, 44 m, 1 dd; stn Poum, 20°10’S, 163°55’E, 18-20 m, 5 dd; stn 1012, 20°07’S, DW 157, 19°49’S, 158°18’E, 51 m, 1 dd. 163°57’E, 15 m, 1 lv; stn 1014, 20°09’S, 163°53’E, 22-23 m, 1 New Caledonia proper. LAGON: stn 38, Secteur de Nouméa, dd; stn 1015, 20°10’S, 163°51’E, 25 m, 1 lv; stn 1027, 20°03’S, 22°20’S, 166°17’E, 20 m, 1 dd; stn 40, 22°21’S, 166°15’E, 21 163°51’E, 29 m, 1 dd (Fig. 11); stn 1163, Secteur des Belep, m, 2 dd; stn 41, 22°19’S, 166°16’E, 28-46 m, 1 dd; stn 63, Ile 19°11’S, 163°22’E, 48 m, 3 dd; stn 1164, 19°14’S, 163°23’E, Ouen-Baie du Prony, 22°26’S, 166°26’E, 20 m, 2 dd; stn 71, 62 m, 1 dd; stn 1165, 19°15’S, 163°19’E, 65 m, 1 dd .

22°20’S, 166°34’E, 22 m, 1 dd; stn 85, 22°29’S, 166°32’E, Loyalty Ridge. MUSORSTOM 6: stn DW 461, 21°06’S, 21 m, 2 dd; stn 150, 22°30’S, 166°50’E, 62-68 m, 1 dd; stn 167°26’E, 240 m, 1 dd.

169, Baie de St Vincent, 22°08’S, 168°08’E, 22 m, 1 dd; stn Loyalty Islands. Lifou. LIFOU 2000: stn DW 1650, 20°54.15’S, 202, 21°59’S, 165°57’E, 13 m, 2 dd; stn 302, Grand Récif Sud, 167°01.7’E, 120-150 m, 1 dd.

23°37’S, 166°51’E, 17 m, 2 dd; stn 310, 22°46’S, 166°46’E, 46 Vanuatu. MUSORSTOM 8: stn DW 1042, 16°53’S, 168°28’E, m, 2 dd; stn 522, Lagon Nord, 19°08’S, 163°38’E, 42 m, 1 dd; 200-260 m, 1 dd.

DISTRIBUTION. — Indian Ocean: Somalia ( Kosuge 1993) to the Andaman Islands (Smith 1878). Pacific Ocean : from Kii Peninsula to the Philippines (Tsuchiya 2000). Coral Sea and New Caledonia, live in 15-25 m, empty shells down to 68 m. Loyalty Ridge, Loyalty Islands and Vanuatu, empty shells in 120-260 m.

REMARKS. — Coralliophila abnormis is commonly found throughout its range in water shallower than about 100 m. The deeper records of empty shells from Loyalty Ridge and Vanuatu are likely to be a result of drift from shallower water. The protoconch of Coralliophila armeniaca , as described by D’Attilio & Myers (1984: 89, fig. 23), is multispiral (3.5 whorls) with 2 poorly nodulose spiral cords crossed by axial ridges.