Conus cf. fijisulcatus Moolenbeek, Röckel & Bouchet, 2008

Helwerda, Enate A., 2017, Conidae and Terebridae (Gastropoda: Neogastropoda) from the Plio-Pleistocene of the Philippines, Zootaxa 4221 (5), pp. 545-561 : 552-553

Conus cf. fijisulcatus Moolenbeek, Röckel & Bouchet, 2008

( Figure 7–9 )

2008 Conus fijisulcatus nov. spec.—Moolenbeek, Röckel & Bouchet: p. 43, pl. 3, figs. 27–28 & pl. 4, fig. 42. 2009 Asprella fijisulcata ( Moolenbeek, Röckel & Bouchet, 2008) —Tucker & Tenorio: p. 84.

2015 Conus (Asprella) fijisulcatus Moolenbeek, Röckel & Bouchet, 2008 —Puillandre et al.: p. 6.

Material. Anda1 (2) RGM 1008317, RGM 1008318, Roxas (1) RGM 1008319.

Characterization. Shell medium-sized, up to 51 mm. Protoconch damaged in all specimens. Teleoconch whorls tuberculate. Spire of moderate height, stepped; outline slightly concave. Sutural ramp concave, ornamented with 1 increasing to 6 spiral grooves above the tubercles and with radial threads. Last whorl conical, outline weakly convex at upper two-thirds and straight to weakly concave at lower one-third. Shoulder angulate, with 13–14 broad tubercles. Subsutural flexure shallow, gently curved. Sculpture of last whorl consists of broad, pustulose spiral ribbons; grooves between them axially striate, becoming wider abapically and often containing 1–2 spiral threads. Siphonal canal often deflected to the dorsal side. Aperture somewhat narrow, wider at base than near shoulder.

Distribution. Fiji, alive in 150–353 m, empty shells to 497 m ( Moolenbeek, Röckel & Bouchet, 2008).

Remarks. The shape of the material described here matches Conus fijisulcatus Moolenbeek, Röckel & Bouchet, 2008 in a direct comparison of specimens provided by Rob Moolenbeek, but there are minor sculptural differences. The tubercles on the shoulder and the spiral grooves on the upper part of the body whorl disappear on the last few whorls of adult specimens of C. fijisulcatus Moolenbeek, Röckel & Bouchet, 2008 , but they remain present in the material studied here, even in the largest specimen. The studied material is more slender and has a higher spire than Conus sulcatus Hwass in Brugière, 1792 . Conus rolani Röckel, 1986 has more (15–20) tubercles on its shoulder.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 10. Conidae. The same scale is used in all images. The scale bar at the centre of the Plate is 10 mm. 1. Conasprella orbignyi (Audouin, 1831). RGM 1008312. Locality Anda 3.