Cryptodaphne Powell, 1942

Morassi, M. & Bonfitto, A., 2010, New raphitomine gastropods (Gastropoda: Conidae: Raphitominae) from the South-West Pacific, Zootaxa 2526, pp. 54-68 : 55-56

Genus: Cryptodaphne Powell, 1942

Type species: Cryptodaphne pseudodrillia Powell, 1942

Remarks: Powell (1942) introduced Cryptodaphne to allocate Cryptodaphne pseudodrillia Powell, 1942 , from the Early Miocene of New Zealand. Beu and Maxwell (1990) assigned the Upper Oligocene New Zealand Cosmasyrinx semilirata Powell, 1942 , to Cryptodaphne on the basis of the protoconch sculpture. Powell (1966) recognized four Recent species as members of the genus but one of them, Pleurotomella abbreviata Schepman, 1913 , actually belongs to genus Acanthodaphne Bonfitto & Morassi, 2006 . A second species, Pleurotomella biconica Schepman, 1913 , is the type species of Acamptodaphne Shuto, 1971 here tentatively used as a full genus (see below). This removal of species to other taxa leaves Cryptodaphne with only two recent species of Powell’s list, viz. Cryptodaphne affinis ( Schepman, 1913) and C. gradata ( Schepman, 1913) . Two Cryptodaphne species were recently described as C. rugosa Sysoev, 1997 from Indonesia and C. kilburni Morassi & Bonfitto, 2006 from the Gulf of Aden.

Members of Cryptodaphne are characterized by whorls sculptured by prominent spiral cords and sinuous axial threads. These features, as well as the microscopic granules on the shell surface reported in most species (but probably normal for the genus), are usually encountered in the subfamily Clathurellinae H. & A. Adams, 1858. Cryptodaphne may superficially resemble the clathurelline genus Microdrillia Casey, 1903 , but the protoconch ornamented with typical diagonally cancellated sculpture occurring in the former genus clearly suggests an allocation within Raphitominae . Actually, Cryptodaphne most closely resembles genus Teretia Norman, 1888 from which it differs in shell outline (biconic vs narrowly fusiform), much less projecting peripheral keel, broader and remarkably shallower anal sinus.