Protobarleeia Ponder, 1993

Absalão, Ricardo Silva, 2002, Three new species of Barleeidae (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Rissooidea) from Brazil, Zootaxa 56, pp. 1-7 : 5

Genus Protobarleeia Ponder, 1993

Type species: Amphithalamus myersi Ladd, 1966 . Original designation.

Protobarleeia pyrrocincta n.sp.

Diagnosis: Shell minute, 1.60 mm long, globose to elongate­conic, with convex whorls. Protoconch with about 6 evenly spaced spiral cordlets. Teleoconch with about 8 very faint spiral threads on body whorl. Background cream­coloured, with reddish belts.

Description: Shell minute, length ranging from 1.55 to 1.66 mm; width from 0.92 to 0.98 mm. Solid, globose to elongate­conic, with convex whorls. Background creamcoloured, with reddish belts. Teleococonch with about 8 very faint spiral threads on body whorl (not always visible). Suture well impressed. Protoconch paucispiral, with about 6 evenly­spaced spiral cordlets. Apical angle around 42°. Teleoconch base rounded, usually devoid of spiral sculpturing. Aperture holostomate, sub­angled posteriorly. Umbilical fissure usually present. Radula and operculum unknown.

Type locality: Abrolhos Bank, off Bahia State, Brazil, about 20 m.

Type material: Holotype: MNRJ 8622; paratypes: IBUFRJ 12038; MNHN; ANSP 410286; MORG 41054; UERJ 2334; MNRJ 8624

Etymology: From “ pyrro ” (Greek), red, and “ cincta ” (Latin), belt, referring to the reddish belts, the main diagnostic character of this new taxon.

Range: off Espirito Santo State, Southeastern Brazil.

Remarks: The diagnostic operculum of Barleeidae was not observed, since only dead shells were available. However, the new species fits easily into the concept of Protobarleeia Ponder (1983) , in view of the faint spiral sculpture on the teleoconch and the spiral cordlets on the protoconch. No member of this genus has been reported previously from South American waters. Barleeia rubroperculata (Castellanos, 1972) is the only species known from the region, but it is more slender than P. pyrrocincta n.sp. and its protoconch is smooth, while the protoconch of P. p y r ro c i n c t a n.sp. is spirally corded. Incidentally, a smooth protoconch is not congruent with the concept of Barleeia proposed by Ponder (1983), but the generic placement of B. rubroperculata will not be discussed here. A fissural umbilicus may be present in some specimens, as also showed by C. barcellosi ( Absalão & Rios, 1995, p.89).