Gadila vanuatuensis, Scarabino, 2008

Scarabino, Victor, 2008, New species and new records of scaphopods from New Caledonia, Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle 196, pp. 215-268 : 265-266

publication ID	978-2-85653-614-8
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/723F87BF-FFC5-FFDC-FF66-B2A8FDC0FD3B
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Gadila vanuatuensis
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Gadila vanuatuensis View in CoL n. sp.

Fig. 3h

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype (dd) MNHN 20149 About MNHN and 8 paratypes (dd) MNHN 20150-20151 About MNHN .

TYPE LOCALITY. — Vanuatu, 16°16’S, 167°21’E, 360-419 m [MUSORSTOM 8: stn DW 1065] GoogleMaps .

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — New Caledonia proper. BATHUS 4: stn DW 882, Passe de St Vincent , 22°02’S, 165°56’E, 250- 350 m, 1 dd (paratype MNHN 20151 About MNHN ) GoogleMaps .

Vanuatu. MUSORSTOM 8: stn DW 1065, Malekula Island, 16°16’S, 167°21’E, 360-419 m, 8 dd (holotype MNHN 20149 and 7 paratypes MNHN 20150).

DISTRIBUTION. — Vanuatu and New Caledonia, shells in 350-360 m.

DESCRIPTION. — Shell up to 13 mm long, regularly curved on both ventral and dorsal sides until close to the oral aperture, from where the diameter decreases towards the mouth. Translucent grey to shiny white. Maximum diameter near oral aperture. Apex slightly dorsoventrally depressed, with 5 slight lobes, ventral one the largest, with denticle in the middle. Lumen circular. Mouth circular, oblique.

Measurements of holotype: L 13, W 1.9, mouth 1.3-1.2, w 0.6-0.5, arc 1.2.

REMARKS. — Gadila vanatuensis is characterised mainly by the regularity of curvature and the position of the maximum diameter, close to the oral aperture. As in most of the large species of the genus, a denticle is present in the ventral apical lobe. The value of this character should be studied more closely.

ETYMOLOGY. — From Vanuatu, the type locality .

Family INCERTAE SEDIS

Genus and species undetermined Fig. 4n

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — South of New Caledonia. BATHUS 2: stn DW 715, south of Ile des Pins, 22°39.42’S, 167°10.99’E, 202-227 m, 3 dd GoogleMaps .

REMARKS. — These three 5 mm long specimens are typically gadilid-like shells, but with quite different apical structures, that is, dorsoventral compresssion, broad walls and a dorsal notch. The notch could indicate that they are juvenile shells with the remains of the larval shell, but the thick apical walls make this seem unlikely. If the gadilid-like shape is considered significant, the apical structure is new for the order, although the compressed section matches the genus Compressidens . I prefer to wait for live specimens in order to describe this species and clarify its status from radular studies.