Triphora spina Verco, 1909

Albano, Paolo G., Bakker, Piet A. J. & Sabelli, Bruno, 2019, Annotated catalogue of the types of Triphoridae (Mollusca, Gastropoda) in the Natural History Museum of the United Kingdom, London, Zoosystematics and Evolution 95 (1), pp. 161-308 : 161

Triphora spina Verco, 1909

Figure 112

Triphora spina Verco 1909: 280-281, pl. XXII, figs 2-4.

Type locality.

"off Beachport" (South Australia).

Type material.

Lectotype: SAM D. 13449 (fide Marshall 1983; not seen, see Remarks). Paralectotype: NHMUK 1910.3.29.39: 1 specimen, off Beachport, South Australia .

Original description.

Shell sinistral, elongate-subulate-pyramidal. Protoconch of 4 turns, apex prominent and tongue-like, whorls smooth, centrally boldly angled, concave between the median angulations. Suture linear. Spire-whorls 17, with four ribs; the largest is the continuation of the nuclear angulation; above this is a much smaller infra-sutural rib, below it the shell wall seems thinner and less opaque; then comes a bold rib, and close below it a supra-sutural rib. They are slightly tuberculate with low transverse nodules, united by low broad oblique axial costae, most marked between the upper two ribs, but connecting the upper three; the supra-marginal rib is smooth, and wedged in between the two adjacent ribs. Aperture roundly rhomboidal; outer lip crenulated by the spirals, antecurrent into a spur towards the front canal nearly closed at this point, curved to the left, and reflected; back of the aperture pinched at the suture, but no sutural notch. Base smooth, with one spiral. Colour, light-amber tint.

Dim.- Length, 12.4 mm; width, 1.9 mm.

Locality.- Type, 110 fathoms off Beachport, with 2 others perfect and 11 broken, in 150 fathoms 6 moderate, and in 200 fathoms 3 poor; in 90 fathoms off Cape Jaffa, 7 perfect and 14 broken, and in 130 fathoms 3 broken.

It differs from T. subula in its unicarinate protoconch, and in having the 4 ribs throughout.

Remarks.

In his original description, Verco referred to multiple specimens in the type series. Marshall’s (1983) report of the “holotype” in the SAM should be considered a lectotype designation according to Article 74.6 of the Code ( ICZN 1999). The label accompanying this lot reports the type locality and the wording “Co-types”, which suggests that the specimens indeed belong to the type series. Because of Marshall’s lectotype designation, these and all other syntypes are now paralectotypes.

Figures

Figure 112. Triphora spina Verco, 1909, off Beachport, South Australia. A Original figure. B-L Paralectotype, NHMUK 1910.3.29.39: front (B, C), side (D, E), back (F), protoconch (G, H), aperture (I), peristome (J), original labels (K, L). Scale bars: B-F: 1 mm; G, H: 0.2 mm; I, J: 0.5 mm.