Triphora alexandri Tomlin, 1931

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 alexandri Tomlin, 1931

Figure 100

Triphora alexandri Tomlin 1931: 425-426, pl. 33, fig. 3.

Type locality.

Umhlali, Natal, South Africa.

Type material.

Syntypes: NHMUK 1931.7.23.8: 1 specimen, South Africa .

Original description.

Shell with 15½ whorls, whereof 1½ are protoconch-the extreme apex is missing and would probably add one more whorl to protoconch; what is left shows a sharp, central keel with rather distant axial lines. This sculpture gradually develops on the postnuclear whorls into two rows of very regular tubercles, the upper row pale brown and the lower white; the last seven whorls have three rows, of which the upper two are pale brown; the white row throughout is obviously the strongest. Sutures marked by a raised line; periphery with a tubercled keel; base pale brown, with 3 keels encircling the canal; canal reflexed.

Alt. 8.75 mm.; diam. max. vix 2 mm.

Hab.-Umhlali (Alexander).

Readily distinguished by its coloration.

Diagnosis.

Available syntype 7.4 mm high. Shell cyrtoconoid. Teleoconch of 13 whorls with three spiral cords bearing tubercles at the intersection with prosocline axial ribs. Suture deep. Peristome incomplete without additional spiral cords. Posterior sinus not observable. Siphonal canal long. Base with three narrow, almost smooth spiral cords. Protoconch broken in the available syntype, but its last whorl is present and suggests a multispiral type with one spiral keel and axial riblets. Background teleoconch colour light brown, with lighter tubercles and white third spiral cord and first two teleoconch whorls. The remaining protoconch whorl light brown.

Remarks.

The original figure closely matches with this specimen, including also in having the protoconch incomplete. No other type specimens were reported in the NMW ( Trew 1990).

Figures

Figure 100. Triphora alexandri Tomlin, 1931, Umhlali, S. Africa. A Original figure. B-H, J, K Syntype NHMUK 1931.7.23.8: front (B, C), side (D, E), back (F), peristome (G, H), protoconch (J), aperture (K). I Original label. Scale bars: B-F, K: 1 mm; G, H: 0.5 mm; J: 0.2 mm.