Triphora ignobilis Thiele, 1925

Albano, Paolo G. & Bakker, Piet A. J., 2016, Annotated catalogue of the types of Triphoridae (Mollusca, Gastropoda) in the Museum fuer Naturkunde, Berlin, with lectotype designations, Zoosystematics and Evolution 92 (1), pp. 33-78 : 57

Taxon classification Animalia Caenogastropoda Triphoridae

Triphora ignobilis Thiele, 1925 Figure 24

Triphora ignobilis Thiele, 1925: 131 (97), plate XXII (X), figures 26 and 26a.

Type specimens.

Lectotype: ZMB/Moll no. 109277a, here designated. Paralectotypes A-C: ZMB/Moll no. 109277b-d.

Type locality.

"Station 244 [5°55.8' südl. Br., 39°1.2' östl. L., 50 m Tiefe, bei Ost-afrika]" (off Zanzibar, East Africa).

Original description.

Vier Schalen von derselben Station 244, die eine gelbbraune Färbung zeigen, scheinen zu keiner bekannten Art zu gehören, sie haben eine gewisse Aehnlichkeit mit Triphora perversa , sind aber bedeutend kleiner. Die abgebildete Schale, der die äußerste Spitze (etwa 2 Windungen) fehlt, zeigt 15 Windungen, sie ist etwas spindelförmig, oben spitz; die Anfangswindungen (nach einer anderen Schale 4-5) haben einen Mittelkiel und herablaufende Fäden, die folgenden haben 2 Reihen rundlicher Knoten, zwischen denen sich ein Faden einschiebt, der sich erst ziemlich weit abwärts zu größeren Knoten umbildet, letzte Windung etwas schmaler als die vorletzte, an der ziemlich stumpfen unteren Kante mit einem Reifen und 2 anderen darunter. Spindelfortsatz schräg gerichtet, Mündung rundlich gegen den Kanal fast geschlossen, Mundrand oben zurücktretend. Höhe 7 mm, Durchmesser 1,5 mm.

Translation.

Four shells from the same station 244, yellow-brown of colour; it seems that they do not belong to an already described species, they show some similarity with Triphora perversa , but are definitely smaller. The figured shell lacks the top of the apex (approximately two whorls), it has 15 whorls, it is slender and the top is pointy; the first whorls (4-5 according to other shells) have a single keel in the middle of the whorl and axial riblets, the following whorls have two rows of tubercles, between them a third fine row develops which bears larger tubercles only on the last few whorls; the last whorl is a bit slender than the penultimate whorl, it has a blunt edge with a spiral cord and two spiral cords underneath. The siphonal canal is oblique, the aperture is rounded and the siphonal canal is narrow, there is an ample posterior canal. Height 7 mm, diameter 1.5 mm.

Diagnosis.

Lectotype height 6.7 mm. Shell slender, with flat sides. Teleoconch of 13 whorls, which have two main tubercled spiral cords. Among them, a further cord develops along the spire: it is visible as a simple thread at mid shell height, and becomes a full sized tubercled cord only on the last whorl. A fine suprasutural smooth cord is also present. The last whorl has a fourth weakly tubercled spiral cord, and the base two further almost smooth cords. The peristome shows a well-developed posterior sinus and additional spiral cords between the main ones. The protoconch has five whorls; the first whorl appears smooth, the other whorls have a single strong keel and axial riblets. Background colour light brown with yellowish tubercles and brown interspaces. Both available specimens were, however, dead collected and colours may have faded.