Triphoris ornatus Deshayes, 1832

Albano, Paolo G., Franco, Davide Di, Azzarone, Michele, J., Piet A., Bakker & Sabelli, Bruno, 2023, Review of the types of Indo-Pacific Triphoridae (Mollusca, Gastropoda) in the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, Zoosystema 45 (2), pp. 13-106 : 24

Triphoris ornatus Deshayes, 1832

( Fig. 8 )

Triphoris ornatus Deshayes, 1832: 1053 , not illustrated.

TYPE LOCALITY. — Unknown.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Not found (see Remarks).

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL. — Reunion Island • MNHN-IM-2000-483; 1 specimen; apparently from the Red Sea.

No clear locality indicated • MNHN-IM-2000-503; 4 specimens .

ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION. — Tr. test â sinistrors â, elongato-turrit â, apice acut â, basi angustâ, in medio laeviter inflatâ; anfractibus numerosis, planis, b iseriatim granulosis; granulis superioribus rufis, alteris albidis; aperturâ rotundatâ, submarginatâ; siphon posticali brevi, simplici.

[Latin diagnosis followed by a discussion in French]

TRANSLATION OF THE LATIN TEXT. — Sinistrorse triphorid shell, elongated and turreted, with sharp apex, narrow base, in the middle slightly inflated; numerous whorls, flat, with two tubercled spiral cords; upper tubercles red, the others white; circular aperture, with lip; posterior siphonal canal short, simple.

REMARKS. — The MNHN hosts two lots that have been assigned to this taxon. Apart from some very ruined shells in lot MNHN-IM-2000-503 ( Fig. 8 R-T), whose conditions prevent any comparison, one specimen in this lot ( Fig. 8 H-P, V) and the specimen in lot MNHN-IM-2000-483 ( Fig. 8 A-G, Q) share the same colour pattern of a brown or orange second spiral cord on white background. Deshayes indeed stated that the “upper” spiral cord is reddish and the rest white (“ granulis superioribus rufis, alteris albidis ”). The meaning of “upper” is ambiguous. We noticed also in some descriptions by Jousseaume that “upper” was occasionally used for the second cord, and we wonder if this is not a relic of the early days when shells were depicted with the spire downwards (and thus the second spiral cord up). That is, if Deshayes actually meant by “upper” closer to the aperture, both specimens may fit the original description. Still, the two specimens likely belong to two different species, the original locality is not stated, and the original description may fit multiple known species. Therefore, the correct identity of Triphoris ornatus is very hard to define, unless some unambiguous type material shows up.

Figures

FIG. 8. — Specimens in lots labelled as Triphoris ornatus Deshayes, 1863: A-G, Q, Triphoridae sp. 1, MNHN-IM-2000-483, Red Sea (?): front (A, B), side (C, D), back (E), peristome (F, G), teleoconch microsculpture (Q); H-P, V, Triphoridae sp. 2, MNHN-IM-2000-503, unspecified Locality. Peristome (H, I), front (J, K), side (L, M), back (N), protoconch (O, P), teleoconch microsculpture (V); R-T, Unidentifiable Triphoridae, MNHN-IM-2000-503, unspecified Locality. Front views; U, W-Y, original labels MNHN-IM-2000-483. Scale bars: A-E, J-N, R-T, 1 mm; F-I, Q, V, 0.4 mm; O, P, 0.2 mm.