Cerithiopsis brucei ( Melvill & Standen, 1912 ) Pimenta & Faria & Figueira & Fernandes, 2024

Pimenta, Alexandre Dias, Faria, Raquel Garofalo De Souza, Figueira, Raquel Medeiros Andrade & Fernandes, Maurício Romulo, 2024, Unraveling another of the ‘ Big Fiveʹ: new species and records of Cerithiopsidae from Brazil (Caenogastropoda: Triphoroidea), Zootaxa 5494 (1), pp. 1-71 : 42-43

Cerithiopsis brucei ( Melvill & Standen, 1912) comb. nov., nomen dubium

( Fig. 21 )

Bittium brucei Melvill & Standen, 1912: 351 , fig. 11.

Joculator brucei : Cecalupo & Perugia (2013, 103, mentioned on a list of species for new generic allocation).

Type material. Holotype: NMS.Z.1921.143.642 [*]. Lost in the fire while loaned to MNRJ.

Type locality. Brazil, off Bahia / Espírito Santo states, Scottish National Antarctic Expedition sta. 81 (18°24’S, 37°58’W, 36 fms [66 m]) .

Material examined. The holotype.

Remarks. Melvill & Standen (1912) described several marine mollusks from Antarctica and nearby areas, mainly Scotia Bay, Burdwood Bank and Malvinas Islands, based on the material obtained by the Scottish National

Antarctic Expedition (1902–1904). Among the new species from that work, Bittium brucei was described from station 81 (18°24ʹS, 37°58ʹW, 66 m), which lies on the continental shelf of Bahia / Espírito Santo states, eastern Brazil. Melvill & Standen (1912) did not highlight that such locality in Brazil was out of the remainder material described in that paper (from Antarctica waters), but according to Wilton & Brown (1908 apud Rosenberg 2009), the vessel Scottia also dredged off Brazil in 1902.

Bittium brucei was allocated in the cerithiopsid genus Joculator by Rosenberg (2009). Cecalupo & Perugia (2013) also listed this taxon in Joculator , but erroneously citing Antarctica as its type locality. However, the distinction between Cerithiopsis , Joculator and other generic names in Cerithiopsidae is unclear (see discussion). Thus, aiming for consistency in the classification herein adopted, we consider it as a Cerithiopsis species.

The holotype of Cerithiopsis brucei lacks the protoconch ( Fig. 21 ), which, according to the original illustration, was already broken when described. The teleoconch sculpture shows that the adapical and median spiral cords are close to each other, and are apparently fused. They become separated on the body whorl so that three spiral cords are present ( Fig. 21 ). As shown above, this pattern is present in several species from Brazil: Cerithiopsis fusiformis , C. vescula n. sp., C. aimen , C. prieguei , C. capixaba and C. balaustium , mainly differing in protoconch sculpture. Of those, judging from shell shape, size and teleoconch sculpture, it would be possible to relate it to C. fusiformis , C. scobinata and C. capixaba ; however, without protoconch, it is impossible to determine it. Thus, we consider Cerithiopsis brucei a nomen dubium.

Figures

FIGURE21.Cerithiopsisbrucei (Melvill& Standen,1912).Holotype,from Bahia/EspíritoSantostates (NMS.Z.1921.143.642). Lengths of whole shell: 2.3 mm. Scale bar: 1 mm.