Roxania punctulata A. Adams, 1862

Valdés, Ángel, 2008, Deep-sea “ cephalaspidean ” heterobranchs (Gastropoda) from the tropical southwest Pacific, Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle 196, pp. 587-792 : 694-696

Roxania punctulata A. Adams, 1862

Figs 53A, 54

Roxania punctulata A. Adams, 1862: 158 .

TYPE MATERIAL. — Not examined .

TYPE LOCALITY. — “Mino-Sima” [= Mishima], Japan, 115 m.

MATERIAL EXAMINED.— Philippines. MUSORSTOM 3: stn CP 167°05’E, 105-110 m, 1 dd . — LAGON: stn 830, Secteur de Poin- 100, 14°00’N, 120°18’E, 189-199 m, 1 dd; stn DR 102, 14°01’N, dimié, 20°49’S, 165°19’E, 105-110 m, 8 dd . — BATHUS 1 : stn 120°18’E, 192 m, 1 dd; stn DR 140, 11°43’N, 122°34’E, 93-99 DW 688 , Passe de Hienghu , 20°33’S, 165°00’E, 270-282 m, 1 m, 1 dd. dd; stn DE 700, Passe du Cap Baye, 20°57’S, 165°35’E, 160-222 Indonesia. KARUBAR:stn DW 15 , Kai Islands, 05°17’S, 132°41’E, m, 1 dd .

212-221 m, 1 dd; stn DW 50, Tanimbar Islands, 07°59’S, 133°02’E, Vanuatu. MUSORSTOM 8: stn DW 976, 19°25’S, 169°27’E, 160- 184- 186 m, 1 dd. 182 m, 1 dd; stn DW 1100, 15°05’S, 167°10’E, 258-265 m, 1 dd. North of New Caledonia. MUSORSTOM 4: stn DW 149, 19°08’S, Fiji. MUSORSTOM 10: stn CP 1363, S of Viti Levu, 18°12’S, 163°23’E, 155 m, 1 dd; stn DW 150, 19°07’S, 163°22’E, 110 m, 1 178°33’E, 144-150 m, 2 dd; stn CP 1366, 18°12’S, 178°33’E, dd; stn DW 151, 19°07’S, 163°22’E, 200 m, 2 dd (Fig. 53A). 149-168 m, 1 dd.

New Caledonia proper. VAUBAN: stn 40, 22°30’S, 166°24’E , Futuna Island. MUSORSTOM 7: stn DW 507 , 14°20’S, 178°07’W, 250-350 m, 1 dd . — MUSORSTOM 4: stn DW 203 , 22°36’S, 419-425 m, 1 dd .

DISTRIBUTION. — Reported from Japan and the South China Seas, in 50-210 m (Hori, 2000b). Material herein collected from Fiji, Indonesia, New Caledonia, the Philippines, Vanuatu and Futuna (Fig. 54), in 99-419 m.

DESCRIPTION. — Shell morphology. Length 3.5 mm, width 2 mm (single specimen examined). Shell solid, oval, with slightly convex sides (Fig. 53A). Only 1 whorl visible, forming the entire shell. The protoconch is completely embedded within the outer whorl. Apex rounded, slightly depressed. The aperture lip rises above the apex forming a short wing. The ventral side of the aperture lip is transversely striated. Anterior end of the shell rounded. Aperture as long as the shell, wider anteriorly and narrowing abruptly at about 1/3 of the aperture length. Columellar margin conspicuously thickened, with no distinctive callus. Umbilicus deep and wide. Sculpture of a number of separate, rounded punctuations forming spiral grooves. These punctuations are larger near the anterior end of the shell and the spiral grooves are more densely arranged near the anterior and posterior ends. Colour uniform cream.

Anatomy. Unknown. All shells collected lacked soft parts.

REMARKS. — Adams (1862) described Roxania punctulata as having an oval shell, rounded at each end, with strongly punctuated spiral lines. The material examined here matches the original description and the redescription by Hori

FIG. 53. Shell morphology of species of Roxania Leach, 1847 . A, Roxania punctulata A. Adams, 1862 , (3.5 mm), ventral view, New Caledonia, MUSORSTOM 4 stn DW 151. B, Roxania pacifica (Habe,1955) ,(9 mm),ventral view, Fiji, BORDAU 1 stn CP 1396. C, Roxania smithae n. sp., holotype MNHN 20378 (7 mm), ventral view, Tonga, BORDAU 2 stn DW 1531. D, Roxania sp. , (5 mm), ventral view, New Caledonia, BIOCAL stn DW 80.

(2000b). The most distinctive characteristic of this species is the transverse, deep striation on the aperture lip. Other unique features are the presence of rounded punctuations and a deep umbilicus. No other species of the genus has this combination of features.