Conus australis Holten, 1802

Franklin, J. Benjamin, Subramanian, K. A., Fernando, S. Antony & Krishnan, K. S., 2009, 2250, Zootaxa 2250, pp. 1-63 : 22

10. Conus australis Holten, 1802 (Figure 11)

Conus australis Holten, 1802: 39 , no. 87 (representation of lectotype, Chemnitz 1795: pl. 183, figs. 1774, 1775 (60 x 24 mm) ( Kohn 1981); " Taiwan ").

Conus australis Lamarck, 1810: 439 , no. 179 (representation of lectotype, Chemnitz 1795: pl. 183, figs. 1774, 1775 (60 x 24 mm) ( Kohn 1981); "Botany Bay, Australie ").

Conus gracilis Sowerby I, 1823 : pl. 267, fig. 4 (representation of holotype, Sowerby I 1823: pl. 267, fig. 4 (72 x 25 mm) ( Röckel et al. 1995); locality unknown).

Conus duplicatus Sowerby I, 1823 : pl. 267, fig. 5 (representation of holotype, Sowerby I 1823: pl. 267, fig. 5 (68 x 30 mm) ( Röckel et al. 1995); "Solomon Is").

Asprella alabasteroides Shikama, 1963: 65 , pl. 1, figs. 9a, b ("Tatsugahama. Wakayama Pref".).

Conus cebuganus da Motta & Martin, 1982: 1 , 3, fig. 1 (holotype, MHNG (36 x 14. 5 mm) ( Röckel et al. 1995); "Visayan Sea, between Malapascua Is. and Bantayan Is. and northward").

Conus gabryae Röckel & Korn, 1992: 13–16 , pl. 2, figs. 11–20 (holotype, SMNS (62.5 x 26 mm) ( Röckel et al. 1995); "Russell Is., Solomon Archipelago").

Material examined: MBMCS 110 , 1 specimen, SL 40 mm; SW 15 mm .

Description. Shell moderately large to large, moderately solid-to-solid, with low gloss. Body whorl narrowly conoid-cylindrical, outline convex adapically straight below. Shoulder subangulate. Spire of moderate height; sharply pointed, outline slightly concave. Body whorl encircled with variably spaced granulose ribs, posteriorly obsolete. Aperture moderately wide, outer lip straight, thin, sloping below level of shoulder.

Ground colour white, suffused with pale brown. Body whorl with brown blotches, tending to form 3 interrupted spiral bands, below the shoulder and above and below centre, the former weakest. Most have many rows of widely spaced squarish brown dots on the spiral ribs. Aperture pale violet.

Distribution. Smith (1894) reported three specimens from the west coast off Calicut. Specimens from Tranquebar dredged by the Galathea Expedition are in ZMUC ( Kohn 1978).

The specimens described herein were collected from Palayar ( Table 6) by trawling in 60 m, mainly of muddy bottom.

Remarks. Conus australis appears to be a rare species along TamilNadu Coast. The specimen presently collected is the second record from India.