Comitas Finlay, 1926

Kantor, Yuri I., Fedosov, Alexander & Puillandre, Nicolas, 2025, Revision of the Indo-Pacific species of the genus Leucosyrinx Dall, 1889 (Neogastropoda: Conoidea: Pseudomelatomidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 999, pp. 1-126 : 9

Genus Comitas Finlay, 1926

(family Pseudomelatomidae )

Comitas Finlay, 1926: 251 .

Type species

Surcula oamarutica Suter, 1917

(= Drillia fusiformis Hutton, 1877 ) (Lower Miocene, New Zealand) (OD).

Remarks

Species of Comitas have a very distinctive radula ( Fig. 3F ), reliably distinguishing them from all other conoideans, including Leucosyrinx . Nonetheless, the radula was examined in very few species, namely: Comitas galatheae Powell, 1969 ( Kosuge 1986: pl. 33 figs 7–11); C. murrawolga (Garrard, 1961) and C. onokeana vivens Dell, 1956 ( Kantor & Taylor 2000: fig. 2a–e); C. pachycercus Sysoev & Bouchet, 2001 ( Sysoev & Bouchet 2001: figs 14, 16); Comitas sp. ( Bouchet et al. 2011: fig. 15c–d). The mentioned species together with the type species of the genus can be separated from Leucosyrinx on the following conchological characters: the shell is generally large, usually over 50 mm in length, with broad and long axial ribs, always extending to the periphery and sometimes to the shell base. The anal sinus is moderately deep, medium broad U-shaped, on the subsutural ramp and occupying the lower part of the subsutural ramp, not on all its width, so that the deepest point is closer to shoulder than to suture ( Fig. 3E ). Correspondingly the sinus line in its upper part is prosocline, but convex.

There is significant overlap in shell characters between Comitas and Leucosyrinx , so that attributing the species known only from empty shells is sometimes problematic. Thus, although Powell (1966) recognized the differences in position of the anal sinus between these genera, he attributed without discussion numerous species with subsutural sinus to Comitas ( Powell 1969) that are conchologically closer to Leucosyrinx as defined here.

Figures

Fig. 3. Genera of Conoidea Fleming, 1822, similar to Leucosyrinx Dall, 1889 and confused with it. A–C. Antarctospira badenpowelli (Dell, 1990) (family Borsoniidae). A–B. Holotype, USNM 613118, Victoria Land, McMurdo Sound, east of Cape Hallett,72°08′ S,172°10′ E, 433 m, SL 19.9 mm, apertural view of the shell and enlarged anal sinus. C. Paratype, USNM 860180, South Shetland Is., 72°06′ S, 172°12′ E, 433 m, SL 21.5 mm; radula. D–F. Comitas sp. (family Pseudomelatomidae), MNHN-IM- 2007-17918, Philippines, Bohol Sea, 762–786 m, SL 114.3 mm; apertural view of the shell, enlarged anal sinus, radula. G–I. Sibogasyrinx cf. pyramidalis 1 (Schepman, 1913) (family Cochlespiridae), MNHN-IM-2009-13451, Philippines, off Luzon I., 593–600 m, SL 46.5 mm; apertural view of the shell, enlarged anal sinus (arrow indicates the subsutural row of nodules, present only in Cochlespiridae), radula. J. Comispira mai (B.-Q. Li & X.-Z. Li, 2008), MNHN-IM-2013-61657, South China Sea, 1128– 1278 m, SL 35.5 mm.