Babelomurex kuroharai ( Habe, 1970 )

Oliverio, Marco, 2008, Coralliophilinae (Neogastropoda: Muricidae) from the southwest Pacific, Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle 196, pp. 481-586 : 543

Babelomurex kuroharai ( Habe, 1970)

Figs 182, 215, 216

Tarantellaxis kuroharai Habe, 1970: 85-86 .

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype NMST-Mo 37286 (figured by Higo et al. 2001: 68, fig. G2466).

TYPE LOCALITY. — Off Okinoshima (c. 150 m depth), southwest Shikoku , Japan .

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Vanuatu. MUSORSTOM 8: stn CP 1084, 15°50’S, 167°17’E, 207-280 m, 1 dd .

DISTRIBUTION. — Previously reported only from the South China Sea and Japan. Reported herein for the first time

in the southwest Pacific, from Vanuatu, one shell only in 207- 280 m.

REMARKS. — Protoconch of 1.5 conical whorls, 720 Μm high, 670 Μm wide at the base. Protoconch-I (slightly damaged) of about 0.5 whorls, sculptured with pustules over the entire surface. Protoconch-II of about 1 whorl, sculptured at first only with pustules, then with 2 weakly developed spiral keels, a series of subsutural threads and a series of similar threads over each keel; the threads tend to fuse and give rise to sinuous collabral riblets.