Conus milneedwardsi Jousseaume, 1894

Franklin, J. Benjamin, Subramanian, K. A., Fernando, S. Antony & Krishnan, K. S., 2009, 2250, Zootaxa 2250, pp. 1-63 : 40

40. Conus milneedwardsi Jousseaume, 1894 (Figure 41)

Conus milneedwardsi Jousseaume, 1894: 99 (holotype, MNHN (46 x 14 mm) ( Röckel et al. 1995); "Aden").

Conus (Cylinder) clytospira Melvill & Standen, 1899b: 461–463 (lectotype, BMNH (107 x 32 mm) ( Coomans et al. 1985a); "Arabian Sea, about 125 miles WSW of Bombay, long. 71° 30’ to 71° 45’E, lat. 18° 43’N ").

Leptoconus kawamurai Habe, 1962: 117 , pl. 37, fig. 15 (holotype, NSMT (80.5 x 33.5 mm) ( Röckel et al. 1995); "Amami and Ryukyu Islands").

Conus lemuriensis Wils & Delsaerdt, 1989: 105–110 , figs. 1–3, 7, 12 (holotype, KBIN (110.5 x 35.5 mm) ( Röckel et al. 1995); " Réunion Islands, La Souris Chaude").

Material examined: MBMCS140 , 3 specimens, SL 85–120 mm; SW 24–35 mm .

Description. Shell moderately large, thin, heavy, glossy; body whorl narrowly conical with elevated spire, about one-third of total length; bluntly pointed, with somewhat concave sides. Spire whorls strongly stepped. Depth of exhalent notch in the largest shell is about 2/5 th of maximum diameter of the last whorl. Shoulder narrow, angulate; outline generally straight. Aperture narrow; slightly wider basally, upper edge of the outer lip strongly sloping below shoulder; outer lip rather thin, concave at centre.

Ground colour white. Body whorl generally with reddish brown reticulated lines forming small to large triangles and with similarly coloured triangular spots to variably shaped blotches concentrated in two spiral bands, within basal third, and just above centre. Spire whorls with large reddish brown regular blotches. Aperture white.

Distribution. Two specimens of C. milneedwardsi (as ‘ C. clytospira ’) were reported from Bombay by Melvill & Standen (1899b, 1901). Kohn (1978) remarked that this species occurs around the margin of the Arabian Sea in the western Indian Ocean.

The specimens described herein were collected from Pamban and Keelakarai ( Table 6) by trawling in 30– 80 m. This appears to extend the distribution from the west to east coast of India .

Remarks. The shell of this species is reported to be moderately solid to solid ( Walls 1979 & Röckel et al. 1995). All the three specimens collected in this study had relatively thin shells. Depth of exhalent notch is about 1/4 of the diameter of the last whorl. In contrast, the earlier records state that the depth ranges from 1/3 to 2/5 of the diameter.

Compared to the earlier record from Madras, east coast (102 mm) ( Röckel et al. 1995), the present specimen collected from Keelakarai is larger (120 mm). Like C. bengalensis this species is also in high demand by collectors due to its rarity.