Hemilienardia pardus, Fedosov & Stahlschmidt & Puillandre & Aznar-Cormano & Bouchet & Umr & Umr, 2017

Fedosov, Alexander E., Stahlschmidt, Peter, Puillandre, Nicolas, Aznar-Cormano, Laetitia & Bouchet, Philippe, 2017, Not all spotted cats are leopards: evidence for a Hemilienardia ocellata species complex (Gastropoda: Conoidea: Raphitomidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 268, pp. 1-20 : 15-16

Hemilienardia pardus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CD765DA2-C2D6-4449-BF85-6DB9C2C8C173

Figs 2 I–M, 3H–I

Hemilienardia cf. ocellata – Tröndlé & Boutet 2009: 39.

Etymology

The species epithet refers to a well known spotted cat, the leopard. Used as a noun in apposition.

Type material

Holotype

SOCIETY ISLANDS: Tahiti , faille d’Arue, 20 m (1 dd, 5.8 mm - Fig. 2K ) ( MNHN IM-2000-31661 ).

Paratypes

SOCIETY ISLANDS: paratype 1,Tahiti, faille d’Arue,Mateval Bay, in front of Radisson Hotel, 20m (1 dd, 5.4 mm) ( MNHN IM-2000-31662); paratype 2, Moorea, off Motu Ahi, 17°33.15' S, 149°46.41' W, 73 m, deep reef slope (1 lv, 4.05 mm - Fig. 2I ) ( UF 4565454, sequenced as BMOO 17147).

Other material examined

LOYALTY ISLANDS: Lifou, Baie du Santal, Atelier LIFOU 2000, stn 1434, 20°52.5' S, 167°08.1' E, 5–20 m (1 dd, 5.0 mm); stn 1451, Baie du Santal, 20°47.3' S, 167°06.8' E, 10–21 m (2 dd, 5.2 mm, 4.8 mm); stn 1454, 20°56.65' S, 167°02.0' E, 15–18 m (1 lv, 5.2 mm - Figs 2 L–M, 3H–I).

NEW CALEDONIA: Touho, Récif man, Expedition MONTROUZIER, stn 1269, 20°35.1'S, 165°08.1'E, 15–20 m (1 lv, 5.6 mm).

Description

SHELL. Small, widely biconical (b/h 0.5; lw/h 0.71; a/h 0.51), with rather low spire and very long recurved siphonal canal. Teleoconch of 4.5 whorls; early 1–1.5 spire whorls distinctly shouldered, with angulate outline, later with concave subsutural depression and convex below; periphery shifted abapically. Suture indistinct. Axial sculpture of strong and wide rounded axial ribs (8 on last whorl), best pronounced at whorl periphery and indistinct in subsutural ramp. Axial folds overridden by spiral cords, slightly widened where intersecting axials. Microsculpture of dense tubercles covering entire teleoconch surface. Spire whorls with three spiral cords below subsutural ramp. Adapical cord weaker than two succeeding ones, abapical spiral cord, marking whorl periphery, strongest. Peripheral cord bordered by suture of succeeding whorl. Last adult whorl and shell base with 8 spiral cords, adapical and abapical slightly weaker, than others. Siphonal canal long, recurved abaxially and slightly widened and notched at its tip. Fasciole sculptured with three distinct, oblique, gemmate cords. Aperture very narrow. Outer lip thick, with strong varix; inside of outer lip with three very strong, broad denticles with flattened crests, adapicalmost strongest. Inner lip recurved abaxially below mid-height, with three indistinct rounded plicae facing denticles of outer lip. Anal sinus rounded, deep and narrow, constricted by callous tubercle.

PROTOCONCH. White, narrowly conical, of about 3 whorls. PI evenly rounded, with fine sculpture of spiral cords and weak axial riblets. Late ~1.5 PII whorls with slightly flattened subsutural area and convex periphery, sculptured with subsutural row of fine, evenly spaced axial riblets and with somewhat “crumpled” diagonally cancellate sculpture on periphery. Protoconch-teleoconch transition distinct, with moderately deep subsutural notch.

COLOUR. Background colour white, spire whorls with regular, ovate, dark-olive spots encircled by a fine darker line in interspaces between axial ribs above whorl periphery. Shell base and siphonal canal with similar blotches, though less regular, often merged together. Periphery of last adult whorls with bright yellow spiral line in interspace between third and fourth spiral cords.

RADULA. No data.

DIMENSIONS. Holotype 5.8 × 2.85 mm.

Distribution and habitat

Known from the Society Islands, living at a depth of 73 m, and from the Loyalty Islands and New Caledonia, living at depths of 15–20 m ( Fig. 5 ).

Remarks

Even though there are no molecular data available for H. pardus sp. nov. from New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands, we assume that it is conspecific with specimens from the Society Islands based on shell characters. This species can easily be distinguished from other members of this group by its widely biconical shell, with a very long and recurved siphonal canal and proportionally low spire. Apart from that, H. pardus sp. nov. is characterized by having only eight axial ribs on the last adult whorl, while there are typically ten in H. ocellata and H. acinonyx sp. nov.

Figures

Fig. 2. Species of the Hemilienardia ocellata complex. The SEM image with no letter denoted shows standard measurements. A–D. Hemilienardia ocellata (Jousseaume, 1884). A–B. Syntype, MNHN IM-2000-3128, Mauritius, 4.0 mm. C. Loyalty Islands, Lifou, Baie du Santal, Atelier Lifou 2000, stn 1429, 20°47.5' S, 167°07.1' E, 8–18 m, 4.4 mm. D. New Caledonia, Secteur de Koumac, Expedition Montrouzier, stn 1319, 20°44.7' S, 164°15.5' E, 15–20 m, 3.6 mm. E–F. Hemilienardia acinonyx sp. nov. E. Holotype, MNHN IM-2013-33593, Philippines, 8.1 mm. F. Loyalty Islands, Lifou, Baie du Santal, Atelier Lifou 2000, stn 1441, 20°46.4' S, 167°02.0' E, 20 m, 5.4 mm. G–H. Hemilienardia lynx sp. nov., holotype, MNHN IM-2013-5489, Papua New Guinea, 2.75 mm. I–M. Hemilienardia pardus sp. nov. I. BMOO 17147, Society Islands, Moorea. K. Holotype, MNHN IM-2000-31661, 5.8 mm. L–M. Loyalty Islands, Lifou, Baie du Santal, Atelier Lifou 2000, stn 1454, 20°56.65' S, 167°02.0' E, 15–18 m, 5.2 mm.

Fig. 5. Records of the Hemilienardia ocellata species complex, based on material examined in the present paper. Filled cycles = H. ocellata (Jousseaume, 1884); triangles = H. acinonyx sp. nov.; black square = H. lynx sp. nov.; grey square = H. cf. lynx sp. nov.; diamonds = H. pardus sp. nov.