Cerithiopsis soubzmaignei ( Cecalupo & Perugia, 2020 ) Pimenta & Faria & Figueira & Fernandes, 2024

Pimenta, Alexandre Dias, Faria, Raquel Garofalo De Souza, Figueira, Raquel Medeiros Andrade & Fernandes, Maurício Romulo, 2024, Unraveling another of the ‘ Big Fiveʹ: new species and records of Cerithiopsidae from Brazil (Caenogastropoda: Triphoroidea), Zootaxa 5494 (1), pp. 1-71 : 46-47

Cerithiopsis soubzmaignei ( Cecalupo & Perugia, 2020) comb. nov.

( Fig. 24 )

Sundaya soubzmaignei Cecalupo & Perugia, 2020: 55 , pl. 27, figs. 2a–f.

Type material. Holotype. MNHN – IM –2000–34880.

Type locality. French Guyana, Iles du Salut, Ile du Diable, Pointe des Tortues , 4 m.

Material examined. Brazil: -- Amapá state: AMASSEDS sta. 4134, 02°21ʹ00ʺN, 48°29ʹ54ʺW, 72 m, Research Vessel Columbus Iselin coll., 22/x/1991: MNRJ 34992 [3*p].

Remarks. The material from Amapá state, northern coast of Brazil ( Fig. 24 ) is identical to the holotype of Sundaya soubzmaignei (https://www.gbif.org/species/10719008). Indeed, the specimens from Brazil were dredged at a location very close to the type locality, although at a depth of 72 m.

Cecalupo & Perugia (2020) described this species in Sundaya due to the dome-shaped protoconch of only two whorls. Sundaya Oliver, 1915 (type species from New Zealand)) was based on aspects of shell morphology which are spread over several other Cerithiopsis s.l. species, such as pupoid shape, obtuse apex and convex outline, but it is mainly distinguished by its blunt, paucispiral protoconch of one or two smooth whorls ( Marshall 1978). Its teleoconch morphology was considered with affinity to Joculator and Horologica by Marshall (1978), who raised the possibility of Sundaya to be an artificial group. We agree that Sundaya might be non-monophyletic, derived of more than one transition from planktotrophy to non-planktotrophy, or even being a synonym of another previously described genus with planktotrophic development. In addition, all other 12 species currently allocated in Sundaya are from the Indo-Pacific (MolluscaBase 2024), encompassing two species with different teleoconch sculpture [ Sundaya widmeriana ( Cecalupo & Perugia, 2014a) and Sundaya ericae Cecalupo & Perugia, 2018 ], i.e., with the adapical spiral cord initially fused with the median one.

Cecalupo & Perugia (2020) compared C. soubzmaignei to some species with paucispiral protoconch from the western Atlantic, including Cerithiopsis iontha Bartsch, 1911 , which is the most similar one. In addition to the observations of Cecalupo & Perugia (2020), other minor differences would be a somewhat more acuminated protoconch and a slightly channeled suture in C. iontha . However, Cecalupo & Perugia (2020) did not discuss the possibility that C. soubzmaignei and C. iontha are congeneric assessment. Based on shell morphology, we cannot find any reason for a different generic allocation and, thus, we keep this species in Cerithiopsis until a more robust approach be properly taken after the examination of anatomic and/or molecular data in a phylogenetic approach.

Geographic and bathymetric distribution. North Brazil Shelf Province, from French Guyana to Amapá state, in Brazil. From 4 m ( Cecalupo & Perugia, 2020) to 72 m (this study).

Figures

FIGURE 24. Cerithiopsis soubzmaignei (Cecalupo & Perugia, 2020). Shell from Amapá state (MNRJ 34992). C: body whorl; D: protoconch. Lengths of whole shells: A–B: 2.2 mm. Scale bars: A–B: 1 mm; C–D: 200 µm.