Kalloconus pseudonivifer ( Monteiro, Tenorio & Poppe, 2004 )

Tenorio, Manuel J., Abalde, Samuel, Pardos-Blas, José R. & Zardoya, Rafael, 2020, Taxonomic revision of West African cone snails (Gastropoda: Conidae) based upon mitogenomic studies: implications for conservation, European Journal of Taxonomy 663 (663), pp. 1-89 : 55

Kalloconus pseudonivifer ( Monteiro, Tenorio & Poppe, 2004)

Fig. 9E

Conus pseudonivifer Monteiro et al., 2004: 66 , pl. 60, figs 4–7, pl. 61, figs 5–7.

Material examined

Holotype

CABO VERDE • 47.4 mm; Boa Vista Island, Baía das Gatas ; MNCN 15.05/46627 ( Fig. 9E).

Other material

CABO VERDE • 1 spec.; Boa Vista Island, Praia Canto ; 16º11ʹ10ʺ N, 22º42ʹ28ʺ W; 30 Jun. 2013; MNCN exped.; GenBank mitochondrion, partial genome: MF491553 ; MNCN 15.05/80403 • 1 spec.; same collection data as for preceding; GenBank mitochondrion, partial genome: MT 240804 ; MNCN 15.05/78591 .

Geographical distribution

East and northeast coast of Boa Vista Island.

Conservation status in IUCN Red List

Least concern. Status revision required.

Remarks

This name was introduced in order to solve the existing confusion with the name Conus nivifer G.B. Sowerby I, 1833 (a synonym of Conus venulatus Hwass in Bruguière, 1792 ) which had been incorrectly applied to shells from Cabo Verde having a bluish white background with a distinctive pattern of spiral interrupting thick lines of deep purple or dark brown and a purple aperture ( Monteiro et al. 2004). The specimens of this species are morphologically very close to K. trochulus (Reeve, 1844) , and in fact the latter might be considered as a patternless version of K. pseudonivifer . Previous population genetic analyses showed that most specimens of individuals identified as K. pseudonivifer from Boa Vista and Maio islands clustered with K. trochulus , with the exception of one specimen from Praia Canto in northeast Boa Vista Island ( Cunha et al. 2008). We examined the mitogenome of many individuals of alleged K. pseudonivifer from Boa Vista and Maio islands ( Abalde et al. 2017a). As in Cunha et al. (2008), all individuals but the one from northeast Boa Vista Island clustered together with K. trochulus ( Abalde et al. 2017a) . Here, we sequenced the mitogenome of a second specimen from Praia Canto in northeast Boa Vista Island, which confirmed the segregation of these two individuals from the clade grouping K. trochulus with pseudonivifer -like individuals, at a genetic distance consistent with separate species status ( Fig. 2 ). Given the fact that the type locality of the taxon Conus pseudonivifer is “Baía das Gatas”, which is located to the northeast of Boa Vista Island, the name pseudonivifer is only applicable to specimens distributed along the east and northeast coasts of the island, whereas the specimens from other areas should be considered patterned forms of K. trochulus .

Figures

Fig. 2. Phylogenetic relationships of West African cones and species delimitation. A time tree (relaxed molecular clock) was reconstructed following methods and calibrations in Abalde et al. (2017a). Dates are in million years. Bold names indicate new mitogenomes. A red line indicates the threshold (uncorrected p distance of 0.2%, based on the divergences between Africonus verdensis (Trovão, 1979) and its sister group and Varioconus guanche (Lauer, 1993) and its sister group) for species delimitation.