Babelomurex cf. tuberosus ( Kosuge, 1980 )

Oliverio, Marco, 2008, Coralliophilinae (Neogastropoda: Muricidae) from the southwest Pacific, Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle 196, pp. 481-586 : 536

Babelomurex cf. tuberosus ( Kosuge, 1980)

Figs 82, 179

Latiaxis tuberosus Kosuge, 1980 b: 42 , pl. 9, figs 6-9.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype IMT 80-12 [not seen], figured by Kosuge & Suzuki (1985: pl. 21, fig. 8, pl. 33, fig. 10), “transferred to the collection of Mr Masaji Suzuki” ( Kosuge 1992).

TYPE LOCALITY. — Off Mactan, Cebu Is., Philippines .

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Norfolk Ridge. SMIB 8: stn DW 181, 23°18’S, 168°05’E, 311-330 m, 1 d (Fig. 82); stn DW 182-184, 23°18’- 23°19’S, 168°05’E, 305-367 m, 3 dd (Fig. 179) .

DISTRIBUTION. — Babelomurex tuberosus was previously known only from the Philippines (Kosuge & Suzuki 1985: 19). Now extended to Norfolk Ridge, empty shells only in 311-330 m.

REMARKS. — The shells are similar to the type material of B. tuberosus especially in the scaly sculpture of the base and may represent a southern form, differing in its smaller size and slightly weaker spines. Protoconch of 1.7 conical whorls, 535 Μm high, 710 Μm wide at the base. Protoconch-I of about 0.9 whorls, sculptured with pustules over the entire surface. Protoconch- II of about 1.3 whorls, with 2 spiral keels, sculptured with a series of subsutural nodulose prosocline threads and a series of opisthocline nodulose threads over each keel. Threads tending to fuse, to give rise to opisthocline, nodulose collabral ribs.