Coralliophila costularis ( Lamarck, 1816 )

Oliverio, Marco, 2009, Diversity of Coralliophilinae (Mollusca, Neogastropoda, Muricidae) at Austral Islands (South Pacific), Zoosystema 31 (4), pp. 759-789 : 763-764

Coralliophila costularis ( Lamarck, 1816) ( Figs 2 A-C; 12B)

Murex costularis Lamarck, 1816 : pl. 419, figs 8a, b. Coralliophila retusa H. Adams & A. Adams, 1863: 432 .

TYPE MATERIAL. — Murex costularis : 2 specimens (the probable holotype MHNG 1099/60/1, 34.0 mm, and a specimen that is probably not a type, 1099/60/2, 26.4 mm: see Oliverio 2008b).

Coralliophila retusa : holotype, BMNH 1984094 (figured by Kosuge & Suzuki [1985: pl. 37, fig. 3] and Higo et al. [2001: 65, fig. G2386]).

TYPE LOCALITY. — Murex costularis : not designated. Locality indicated on its box reads “Oc. Indien ”. Coralliophila retusa : unknown.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — The type material and: BENTHAUS, stn DW 2013, Rimatara Is., 22°38.6’S, 152°49.7’W, 80-93 m, 1 juv dd ( Fig. 2C ). — Stn DW 1948, Banc Lotus, 23°48.7’S, 147°43.5’W, 120-280 m, 1 dd ( Fig. 2A, B ).

DISTRIBUTION. — Indo-Pacific, intertidal and subtidal ( Cernohorsky 1978). Indian Ocean, from the Red Sea southward to South Africa ( Kosuge & Meyer 1999) and the tropical and subtropical zone, including Eastern Arabia “among corals” ( Bosch et al. 1995). Western Pacific Ocean, intertidal to 20 m depth associated with scleractinians ( Tsuchiya 2000). From the New Caledonia area and Fiji, alive in 12-40 m ( Oliverio 2008b). Austral Islands, two empty shells in 93-120 m, probably drifted from shallower waters.

REMARKS

Coralliophila costularis is a common shallow water species throughout its Indo-West Pacific range. The present record is based on a single adult empty shell and a single juvenile, both dredged in deep waters. The protoconch of the juvenile was available for SEM ( Fig. 12B ), and showed 4.3 whorls, 590 µm high and 710 µm wide at the base. Protoconch I of one whorl, apparently smooth. Protoconch II of about 3 ¼ whorls, with two weak spiral keels (the abapical starting on the second protoconch whorl, the adapical starting on the third), sculptured by a series of subsutural threads and a series of opisthocline threads over each keel. A diffuse granulation is present in the interspaces. Coralliophila mira (Cotton & Godfrey, 1932) from southern Australia is very similar although relationships should be tested by genetic data.

Figures

FIG. 2. — Coralliophila costularis (Lamarck, 1816): A, B, Banc Lotus, BENTHAUS, stn DW 1948, 23°48.7’S, 147°43.5’W, 120-280 m; C, Rimatara Is., BENTHAUS, stn DW 2013, 22°38.6’S, 152°49.7’W, 80-93 m. Scale bars: A, B, 10 mm; C, 1 mm.

FIG. 12. — A, Coralliophila australis n. sp., paratype (MNHN 20967), Marotiri Is., BENTHAUS, stn DW 1879, 27°55’S, 143°30.1’W, 52 m; B, C. costularis (Lamarck, 1816), Rimatara Is., BENTHAUS, stn DW 2013, 22°38.6’S, 152°49.7’W, 80-93 m; C, Coralliophila sp. A, Banc Arago, BENTHAUS, stn DW 1970, 23°22’S, 150°43.2’W,350-401 m; D, Babelomurex fusiformis (Martens, 1902), North coast of Rurutu, BENTHAUS, stn DW 1999, 22°25.1’S, 151°22.1’W, 270-500 m; E, Rapa sp. cf. R. incurva (Dunker, 1852), Banc Président Thiers,BENTHAUS,stn DW 1926, 24°38.2’S, 146°00.8’W,50-90 m; F, Babelomurex sibogae (Shepman,1911),Banc Président Thiers, stn DW 1929, 24°38.6’S, 146°01.6’W, 350-370 m. Scale bars: 100 μm.