Marginella pulex, Ortega & Gofas, 2019

Ortega, José Rafael & Gofas, Serge, 2019, The unknown bathyal of the Canaries: new species and new records of deep-sea Mollusca, Zoosystema 41 (26), pp. 513-551 : 533

Marginella pulex n. sp.

( Fig. 16 A-D)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:68B6C64B-B86B-45A0-B842-EC26FD77F8AE

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype. sh., MNHN-IM-2000-34263 . Paratypes. 1 adult spm., 5 immature spm. and 6 sh., MNHN- IM-2000-34264, all from SEAMOUNT 2 DW130 .

TYPE LOCALITY. — Off NW Gran Canaria, 28°08.95’N, 15°53.11’W / 28°09.06’N, 15°52.92’W, 655- 660 m.

ETYMOLOGY. — From the Latin pulex , a flea, alluding to the size and gloss of the shell recalling that of a flea; used as a noun in apposition.

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED. — 259 sh., SEAMOUNT 2 DW130.

DESCRIPTION

Shell very small, consisting of 3 1/2 whorls, whitish, translucent, smooth and glossy, with a moderately elevated spire. Apex blunt and rounded, protoconch 0.7 mm in diameter, consisting of 1 1/2 whorl, delimited from teleoconch by a tenuous line. Spire whorls very slightly convex, with a thin suture and an internal false suture visible by transparency. Last whorl representing about 85% of total height. Aperture elongate, rather broad, parallel-sided except in the adapical part where it narrows very slightly. Outer lip smooth inside, bordered externally by thin labial varix, very slightly receding at its adapical end, forming there a hardly pronounced shoulder against the penultimate whorl. Abapical end bluntly pointed at the termination of the columella; there are four columellar plaits, equivalent in size, occupying slightly more than half of the aperture length. No columellar callus. Size up to 3.3 mm high (holotype 3.2 mm high × 1.8 mm diameter).

REMARKS

This species bears a certain resemblance, regarding profile and shape of the aperture, to Marginella colomborum (Bozzetti, 1995) described from Josephine bank, an isolated seamount located NW of Madeira, but M. pulex n. sp. is much smaller (2-3 mm compared to 10 mm) with a still thinner varix. Taking into account the large number of specimens, the thin outer lip is regarded as a diagnostic character state, not as an indication that the specimens are juveniles.

Figures

FIG. 16. — Marginella pulex n. sp.: A, B, holotype from SEAMOUNT 2 DW130 (3.2 mm); C, D, paratype, same locality (3.3 mm).