Conus leopardus Röding, 1798

Franklin, J. Benjamin, Venkateshwaran, P., Vinithkumar, N. V. & Kirubagaran, R., 2013, Four new records of Conidae (Mollusca: Caenogastropoda) from the Andaman Islands, India, Zootaxa 3635 (1), pp. 81-86 : 81-86

Conus leopardus Röding, 1798

Figure 1 , 2 and 4

Cucullus leopardus Röding, 1798: 41 , no. 520 (representation of lectotype, Martini, 1773: pl. 60, fig. 666 (78 x 43 mm) (Kohn 1975); locality unknown).

Conus millepunctatus Lamarck, 1822: 461 –462, no. 45 (representation of lectotype, Cuvier, 1798: pl. 323, fig. 5 (137 x 75 mm) (Walls 1979); "Océan Asiatique").

Conus millepunctatus var. aldrovandi Dautzenberg, 1937: 171 –172 (representation of lectotype, Cuvier, 1798: pl. 324, fig. 4 (119 x 66 mm) (Coomans et al. 1980); locality unknown).

Material examined. 12 (living) specimens, SL 80–110 mm; SW 52–68 mm; ZSI/ANRC-7444 ( Figure 1 ); dated 20.08.2011; SL 105 × SW 64 mm; 11˚40'15.0"N, 92˚44'51.4"E; Aberdeen Bay, South Andaman; Collected by J. B. Franklin.

Habitat. Dead corals and rubble on sandy substratum, covered with algal turf at a depth of 3 m.

Diagnosis. Shell thick (> 2 mm), large (> 80mm) and heavy (> 1.10 g /mm). Last whorl conical, outline almost straight. Shoulder broad and angulate. Relative spire height low (<0.12), outline concave. Last whorl white, with spiral rows of rounded dark brown spots; the spots in the row at shoulder are larger and extend on the spire to form its colour pattern. Aperture white. Periostracum thick, smooth and dark brown. Siphon dull white with a broad, black band adapical of tip. Foot thick and fleshy; dull white mottled with dirty brown and white; sole brown. Lateral margin with black line.

Distribution. The global distribution range of C. leopardus is thought to be the 'entire Indo-Pacific' (Röckel et. al. 1995). In India, this species was earlier reported from Gulf of Mannar by Kohn (2001) and Franklin et. al. (2009). No previous records of this species are known from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Remarks. Conus leopardus is often mistaken for C. litteratus Linnaeus, 1758 as these species are often sympatric and occur in the same habitat. Shell shape, sculpture and pattern are very similar. Radular teeth of C. leopardus have a prominent blade posteriorly terminating as a barb and serrations that terminate into a protruding cusp (Figure 2), while C. litteratus lacks a cusp and prominent blade with a barb (Figure 3). Moreover, the colour and black band in siphon differentiate C. leopardus from the latter (see Figure 4 and 5). External colour pattern visible on the marginal inner lip of C. litteratus and absent in C. leopardus (observed in all 12 adult specimens studied for C. leopardus and> 20 specimens of various size range of C. litteratus collected from the Andaman Islands).

Conus litoglyphus Hwass in Bruguière, 1792 Figure 6

Conus litoglyphus Hwass in Bruguière, 1792: 692–693, no. 81 (lectotype, MHNG (52 x 29 mm) (Walls, 1979); "les mers des grandes Indes").

Cucullus cinamomeus Röding, 1798: 43 , no. 534 (representation of lectotype, Martini, 1773: pl. 57, fig. 631 (50 x 23 mm) (Kohn, 1975); locality unknown).

Cucullus orleanus Röding, 1798: 44 , no. 558 (representation of lectotype, Chemnitz, 1788: pl. 140, fig. 1298 (37 x 20 mm) (Kohn, 1975); locality unknown).

Conus bicolor Sowerby II, 1833 : pt. 24, fig. 2 (representation of lectotype, Sowerby I, 1833: pl. 24, fig. 2 (18 x 10 mm) (Röckel et al. 1995); locality unknown).

Conus albomaculatus Sowerby II, 1841 : pls. 177–184 (representation of lectotype, Sowerby II, 1833: pl. 24, fig. 2 (17.5 x 9.5 mm); " Moluccas, Indonesia ").

Conus lacinulatus Kiener, 1845 : pl. 108, fig. 2.

Conus carpenteri Crosse, 1865: 302 –303, pl. 9, fig. 1 (holotype, BMNH (46.5 x 25 mm); "Nova Guinea, Oceaniae").

Conus (Rhizoconus) seychellensis Nevill & Nevill, 1874: 22 (holotype, ZSI (SL 38.5 mm); " Seychelle Islands").

Conus inermis Tinker, 1952 : pl. 178.

Material examined. 6 (3 living, 3 empty shells) specimens, SL 34–37 mm; SW 18–20 mm; ZSI/ANRC-7443 (Figure 6); dated 05.07.2011; SL 37×SW 20 mm; 13º17'38.30"N, 93º02'57.43"E; Aerial Bay, North Andaman; Collected by P. Venkateshwaran.

Habitat. Small coral rocks covered with algae on sand substratum, collected at a depth of 2 m.

Diagnosis. Shell medium-sized (35–55 mm), solid (0.30–0.80 g /mm) and glossy. Shoulder broad, sub-angulate. Relative spire height low (<0.12), outline straight. Aperture uniformly narrow, outer lip thin and straight. Last whorl white, overlaid with orange-brown leaving irregular triangular white bands at shoulder and interrupted white band below centre. Spire with triangular white flecks; early whorls white. Aperture dull white.

Distribution. The global distribution of C. litoglyphus is reported to be from East Africa to Hawaii (Röckel et. al. 1995). Previous reports in India are from the Gulf of Mannar (Röckel et. al. 1995; Kohn, 2001; Franklin et. al. 2009). Conus litoglyphus has not been previously reported from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Conus striatellus Link, 1807 Figure 7

Conus lineatus Hwass in Bruguiere, 1792:1: 645–646, no. 44 (non C. lineatus Solander in Brander, 1766, a fossil) (lectotype, MHNG (46 × 23 mm); "Ocean Asiatique").

Conus striatellus Link, 1807:3 :103 (representation of lectotype, Chemnitz, 1788: pl. 138, fig. 1285 (36 × 18 mm) (Kohn, 1981); "Diego Suarez, Madagascar ").

Conus lictor Boivin, 1864:12 :36–37, pl. 1, figs. 1, 2 (holotype, Original figure (40 × 20 mm) Coll. Boivin; locality unknown).

Conus pulchrelineatus Hopwood, 1921: 16 : 151 (nom. nov. for C. lineatus Hwass ). Conus lineatusgranulosus Barros e Cunha, 1933:1, 71:118–119 (non C. granulosus (Roding, 1798) (holotype, Mus. Coimbra (47× 25 mm); locality unknown).

Material examined. 5 (3 living, 2 empty shells) specimens, SL 30–35 mm; SW 17–19 mm; ZSI/ANRC-7795 (Figure 7); dated 21.08.2012; SL 32 × SW 19 mm; 11º40'15.0"N, 92º44'51.4"E; Aberdeen Bay, South Andaman; Collected by J. B. Franklin.

Habitat. On sand with dead reefs, coral rubble with algae, collected at a depth of 4 m.

Diagnosis. Shell conical, moderately small (25–35 mm), moderately solid (0.10–0.30 g /mm), last whorl conical; outline convex. Shoulder angulate. Relative spire height low (<0.12); outline straight. Aperture broad at base. Ground colour white stained with orange brown flammules with numerous thread-like lines that lead to interrupted spiral bands on each side of centre. Dark brown axial flammules extends from shoulder to spire; early whorls white. Aperture white.

Distribution. This species has a broad distribution from Natal to Red Sea and to Japan and Fiji except Australia (Röckel et. al. 1995). Chemnitz (1788), Melvill & Standen (1898), Winckworth (1943), Satyamurti (1952) (as ' C. lineatus') and Kohn (1978) have reported this species from the TamilNadu Coast, India. However, the present report is the first record from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Conus coffeae Gmelin, 1791 Figure 8 and 9

Conus coffeae Gmelin, 1791:13 , 1: 3388, no. 31 (holotype, ZMUA (27 × 16 mm) (Coomans & de Visser, 1987); locality unknown).

Cucullus caffer Roding, 1798: 2 : 48, no. 606/100 (non C. caffer Krauss, 1848 ) (lectotype, ZMUA (27 × 16 mm) (Coomans & de Visser, 1987); locality unknown).

Conus scabriusculus Dillwyn, 1817: 1 :406, no. 98 (representation of lectotype, (17 × 10 mm) (Chemnitz, 1795: pl. 182, figs. 1768, 1769); "the coasts of Guinea about Sierra Leone ").

Conus fabula Sowerby I, 1833: 11 , pl. 24, fig. 5 (representation of lectotype, (25 × 13 mm) (Sowerby I, 1833); locality unknown).

Material examined. 3 (2 living, 1 empty shell) specimens, SL 25–40 mm; SW 15–20 mm; ZSI/ANRC-7793 (Figure 8); dated 18.07.2012; SL 40 × SW 20 mm; 12º 55' 06.59" N, 92º 55' 53.09" E; Avis Island, middle Andaman; Collected by P. Venkateshwaran.

Habitat. Sandy, collected at a depth of 2 m.

Diagnosis. Shell medium sized (35–55 mm), moderately light (0.06–0.10 g /mm), ventricosely conical and outline convex. Shoulder subangulate. Relative spire height moderate (0.12–0.23). Granulose spiral ribs form base, shoulder smooth. One or two moderately granulose ribs in later spire whorls. Ground colour white, two solid interrupted brown spiral bands intermittently connected by axial markings. Brown markings extends to spire. Early whorl white. Base with violet tinge. Aperture white.

Distribution. Conus coffeae occurs in the western and central Pacific, except for Hawaii and the Marquesas, and in the western Indian Ocean in west Thailand and Java (Röckel et. al. 1995). No earlier reports of this species are known from mainland India or the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support given by the Earth System Science Organization, Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India to conduct this research. We are thankful to Dr. M. A. Atmanand, Director, National Institute of Ocean Technology for constant encouragement to conduct this work. We are grateful to Prof. Thomas F. Duda Jr., University of Michigan for useful comments for the improvement of this manuscript. We thank Prof. Alan J. Kohn, University of Washington who confirmed the identity and the distribution of two species. We also thank the reviewers (Prof. Alan J. Kohn, anonymous) for input and criticism that helped to improve the manuscript. Our special thanks are due to Dr. C. Raghunathan, Officer-In-Charge, ZSI/ANRC, Port Blair, Andaman for regional record certification and repository of specimens in National Zoological Collections.

References

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Figures

FIGURES 1. Conus leopardus (ZSI / ANRC- 7444). 2. SEM of radular tooth of C. leopardus, 3. SEM of radular tooth of C. litteratus. 4. Shows dull white siphon with a black band and foot sole of living C. leopardus, 5. Shows pinkish or flesh coloured siphon mottled with dark red and foot sole of living C. litteratus. 6. C. litoglyphus (ZSI / ANRC- 7443). 7. C. striatellus (ZSI / ANRC- 7793). 8 & 9. C. coffeae (Fig. 8: ZSI / ANRC- 7795). Scale bars: 1: 35 mm; 2: 500 µm; 3: 200 µm; 6, 7, 8 & 9: 10 mm.