Leucosyrinx kirai ( Powell, 1969 ), 2025

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 : 97

Leucosyrinx kirai ( Powell, 1969) comb. nov.

Fig. 26L

Comitas kirai Powell, 1969: 279 (23-291), pl. 223 figs 4–6.

Comitas kirai – Kira 1972: 101, pl. 36 fig. 7. — Hasegawa et al. 2000: 633, pl. 315 fig. 71. — Higo et al. 2001: pl. 102 fig. g3535 (holotype).

Type material

Holotype

JAPAN • Kii ; ANSP 232552 .

Remarks

The species is very similar both in shell shape and particularly in spiral sculpture to L. breviplicata . It is unusually small for Comitas (attaining 40 mm) and in general shell characters matches those of species of Leucosyrinx , including the subsutural position of the anal sinus that occupies the entire subsutural ramp. We conditionally transfer it to Leucosyrinx , pending data on the radular morphology. Although by shell characters it can be synonymized with L. breviplicata , it inhabits much shallower depths (50–400 m – Hasegawa et al. 2000: 633). In the absence of sequenced material from Japan, we consider it a distinct species.

Tan & Islami (2021: fig. 9c) illustrated a specimen from Indonesia as Comitas kirai . The identification of the specimen is not straightforward. The shell is much darker, as illustrated in other publications, and the spiral cords on the last whorl are very closely spaced. It may represent a separate species.

Distribution

Japan, 50–400 m,? Indonesia.

Figures

Fig. 26. A–K. Leucosyrinx breviplicata (E.A. Smith, 1899) comb. nov. All specimens, except holotype, from the Solomon Is. A–B. Holotype, ZSI, M 923/1, SL 25.1 mm (from ZSI, https:// zsicollections.in/specimen/ZSI0000003966). C. MNHN-IM-2007-42525, 609–625 m, SL 33.4 mm. D. MNHN-IM-2007-17933, SL 33.1 mm. E. MNHN-IM-2009-16803, 490–520 m, SL 33.7 mm. F. MNHN-IM-2009-16788, 195–197 m, SL 44.5 mm. G. MNHN-IM-2013-19930, 500–575 m, SL 26.8 mm. H–J. MNHN-IM-2009-16810, 485–520 m, SL 45.1 mm. K. MNHN-IM-2009-16814, 485–520 m, SL 46.8 mm. L. Leucosyrinx kirai (Powell, 1969) comb. nov., holotype ANSP 232552, SL 35.3 mm (photo from ANSP website http://clade.ansp.org/malacology/collections/details. php?mode=details&catalognumber=232552). All shells at the same scale.