Lophiotoma abbreviata, (REEVE, 1843)

Puillandre, Nicolas, Fedosov, Alexander E., Zaharias, Paul, Aznar-Cormano, Laetitia & Kantor, Yuri I., 2017, A quest for the lost types of Lophiotoma (Gastropoda: Conoidea: Turridae): integrative taxonomy in a nomenclatural mess, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 181, pp. 243-271 : 259-260

LOPHIOTOMA ABBREVIATA ( REEVE, 1843)

( FIG. 9C, D)

Pleurotoma abbreviata Reeve, 1843 (in 1843–1846): pl. 10, fig. 86.

Lophiotoma abbreviata . – Powell, 1964: 309, pls. 237– 238, figs 1, 2; Poppe, (2008): pl. 683, fig. 5.

Type material: Lectotype [designated by Powell (1964)] and three paralectotypes in NHMUK.

Type locality: Masbate Island , Philippines, reefs at low tide .

Diagnosis: Shell small, turriform, with contrasting black spots on white background colour, and short siphonal canal, giving shell stout appearance. Sculpture of strong spiral elements, with rounded or angulate subsutural cord followed by notably elevated bisected sinus cord, and one fainter ridge on spire whorls. Shell base with dense elevated cords, sometimes interchanged by fine ridges. Microsculpture of dense very fine spiral treads throughout shell surface. Siphonal canal short and rather robust; aperture rather wide with moderately deep anal sinus. Inside of outer lip with distinct lirae.

Remarks: The small and robust-looking shell of L. abbreviata differs from notably more elongated, with long siphonal canal L. jickelii , L. vezzaroi , L. semfala sp. nov. and L. kina sp. nov. In turn, the variegated colour pattern readily distinguishes L. abbreviata from tan L. brevicaudata and dark-brown L. polytropa . While being distinctive among congeners, L. abbreviata resembles small species of the genus Iotyrris , I. devoizei and I. kingae , primarily in colour pattern. However, both mentioned Iotyrris species have an even shorter siphonal canal and thus proportionally much higher spire. Besides, the spiral elements are denser, and the whorl profile is less angulate, because of the lower sinus cord in Iotyrris species. Powell recognized two subspecies in addition to the nominotypical: L. abbreviata lifouensis (Sowerby, 1907) known only from Lifou, Loyalty Islands; and L. abbreviata ustulata (Reeve, 1846) with unknown type locality. The latter subspecies differs markedly in shell from the nominotypical one and its status remains unclear, as suggested by Powell (1964). We also did not have specimens from Lifou available for sequencing and therefore the status of L. abbreviata lifouensis remains unresolved. Concerning the latter, Cernohorsky (1972) claimed that the shells corresponding to both nominotypical and lifuensis subspecies were collected sympatrically in Fiji.

Distribution: Confirmed distribution of the species (based on sequenced specimens) is Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia and Vanuatu. According to published data, it is also found in the Philippines ( Springsteen & Leobrera, 1986) eastward to Fiji ( Cernohorsky, 1972).