Pictodentalium festivum (Sowerby, 1914)

Scarabino, Victor, 2008, New species and new records of scaphopods from New Caledonia, Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle 196, pp. 215-268 : 233

Pictodentalium festivum (Sowerby, 1914)

Pictodentalium festivum - Scarabino 1995: 269, figs 62g, 75, 77c, 78b. Material cited: 44 lots (64 spms) from Coral Sea, Chesterfield Plateau, New Caledonia proper, live in 20- 62 m.

Pictodentalium festivum - Lamprell & Healy 1998: 71 (as synonym of P. formosum Adams & Reeve, 1848 ).

NEW MATERIAL EXAMINED. — North of New Caledonia. New Caledonia proper. Koumac. EXPÉDITION MONTROU- LAGON: stn 1156, Secteur des Belep, 19°10’S, 163°13’E, 55 m, ZIER: stn 1322, 20°43.2’S, 164°15.2’E, 63-71 m, 1 dd .

1 dd. — PALEO-SURPRISE: stn 1384, Grand Passage, 18°24.1’S,

163°04.0’E, 47-48 m, 1 lv.

DISTRIBUTION. — Chesterfield Plateau , Belep, west and east coasts of New Caledonia, live in 20-62 m, shells in 20- 220 m (Scarabino, 1995) .

REMARKS. — The validity of Pictodentalium festivum was established by Scarabino (1995: 269) after examination of the type material and other specimens of both species and I do not agree with the synonymy proposed by Lamprell & Healy (1998). Pictodentalium festivum has more ribs (17-19), is slightly more pointed in section, and all the material examined displayed secondary ribs. The ribs of P. formosum are wide and rounded in section, fewer in number (13-17) and there are no secondary ribs. Also the colour pattern is different, P. formosum being basically dark purple with rose and green patches, while P. festivum is pale purple, rose and cream.