Episiphon virgula (Hedley, 1903)

Scarabino, Victor, 2008, New species and new records of scaphopods from New Caledonia, Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle 196, pp. 215-268 : 242

Episiphon virgula (Hedley, 1903)

Fig. 1r, s

Episiphon subrectum - Scarabino 1995: 287, figs, 93 (erroneously captioned E. virginieae ), 95d.

Episiphon virgula - Lamprell & Healy 1998: 133, figs 135D, 136D-F, 139.

NEW TYPE MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Dentalium subrectum Jeffreys, 1883 : holotype USNM 176124 . — Dentalium virgula Hedley, 1903 : holotype AMS C16217 .

TYPE LOCALITY. — Dentalium subrectum : Philippines. — Dentalium virgula : 5.8 miles off Port Kembla , New South Wales, 115-137 m.

NEW MATERIAL EXAMINED.— New Caledonia proper. Touho. EXPÉDITION MONTROUZIER: stn 1264, 20°44.5’S, 165°15.9’E, 8 m, 1 lv, 1 dd .

DISTRIBUTION. — Global distribtion: western Pacific , from Japan, Philippines, Indonesia, eastern Australia to Tasmania in 22-296 m (Lamprell & Healy 1998) (no information on live specimens has been found in previous literature). New record for the east coast of New Caledonia, live in 8 m.

REMARKS. — The holotype of D. subrectum was not located by Scarabino (1995), who accepted the placement of E. virgula as a synonym of D. subrectum by Ludbrook (1954: 108). However, after examination of the holotype of D. subrectum (USNM 176124, Philippines), figured here for the first time (Fig. 1r), I consider it to be a juvenile of Laevidentalium eburneum (Linné, 1767) . In consequence, Hedley’s name is here revalidated. Fig. 1s shows a specimen of E. virgula (USNM 251992, signed “SC Verco”) from off Neptune Island, South Australia, 104 fms [190 m].