Profundiconus smirnoides Tenorio 2015

Profundiconus smirnoides Tenorio, 2015

Figs 2, 14–15

Profundiconus smirnoides Tenorio, 2015b: 4, pls 1–3.

Conus smirna (non C. smirna Bartsch & Rehder, 1943) – Marshall 1981: 499, fig. 3h–i. — Richer de Forges & Estival 1986: 16, unnumbered fig. — Röckel et al. 1995a: 563, fig. 21; 1995b: pl. 27 figs 6–7. — Moolenbeek et al. 2008: pl. 3 fig. 26. — Puillandre et al. 2015: 4.

Profundiconus smirnoides – Monnier et al. 2018a: 136.

Material examined

42 lots (51 specimens). See Supp. file 1.

Type material

Holotype NEW CALEDONIA • 71.8 mm; off Île des Pins, off New Caledonia, stn DW3125; 22º55.5′ S, 167º17.1′ E; 480–500 m depth; 30 Oct. 2008; TERRASSES expedition; MNHN-IM-2009-18220 (Fig. 14A).

Figured material

NEW CALEDONIA • 73.7 mm; Norfolk Ridge, Jumeau Est, off New Caledonia, stn DW3053; 23°45′ S, 168°16′ E; 410‒440 m depth; 19 Oct. 2008; TERRASSES expedition; MNHN (Fig. 14B) • 81.5 mm; S Lansdowne, off New Caledonia, stn DW2635; 21º03′ S, 160º45′ E; 80‒397 m depth; 21 Oct. 2005; EBISCO expedition; MNHN (Fig. 14C) • 79.7 mm; Norfolk Ridge, Banc Introuvable, off New Caledonia, stn DW1699; 24º40′ S, 168º40′ E; 581‒600 m depth; 24 Jun. 2001; NORFOLK 1 expedition; MNHN (Fig. 14D) • 76.9 mm; Norfolk Ridge, Banc Introuvable, off New Caledonia, stn DW1699; 24º40′ S, 168º40′ E; 581‒600 m depth; 24 Jun. 2001; NORFOLK 1 expedition; MNHN (Fig. 14E) • 52 mm; Norfolk Ridge, off New Caledonia, stn DW819; 23º45′ S, 168º16′ E; 478‒486 m depth; 28 Nov. 1993; BATHUS 3 expedition; MNHN (Fig. 14F) • 63.4 mm; off New Caledonia, stn DW197; 18º51′ S, 163º21′ E; 550 m depth; 20 Sep. 1985; MUSORSTOM 4 expedition; MNHN (Fig. 14G) • 81.4 mm; Norfolk Ridge, off New Caledonia, stn DW169; 23º37′ S, 167º42′ E; 447‒450 m depth; 29 Jan. 1993; SMIB 8 expedition; MNHN (Fig. 14H, M) • 39.9 mm; Norfolk Ridge, off New Caledonia, stn DW187; 23º17′ S, 168º06′ E; 390‒540 m depth; 31 Jan. 1993; SMIB 8 expedition; MNHN (Fig. 14I) • 97.9 mm; Banc Kaimon Maru, off New Caledonia, stn DW65; 24º47′ S, 168º09′ E; 245‒275 m depth; 3 Sep. 1985; BIOCAL expedition; MNHN (Fig. 14J) • 39.9 mm; Norfolk Ridge, Banc Eponge, off New Caledonia, stn CP08; 24º54′ S, 168º21′ E; 540 m depth; 11 Aug. 1999; LITHIST expedition; MNHN (Fig. 14K–L).

Geographical distribution and bathymetry

Coral Sea (Lansdowne Bank), New Caledonia including Grand Passage, Loyalty Islands, Norfolk Ridge, and northern New Zealand (Wanganella Bank, and possibly Kermadec Ridge), at depths between 80 and 1150 m, mostly between 450 and 600 m. There is a report of a dead specimen collected off Fiji (Moolenbeek et al. 2008), suggesting an extension of the range to this area.

Remarks

Shell moderately large to large (maximum length 98.0 mm), narrowly conoid-cylindrical with a high to very high spire. Protoconch multispiral, of 3.0–3.5 whorls, brown, smooth (Fig. 14L). Radular tooth (Fig. 14M) medium- to large-sized, very elongated, with anterior section longer than half of total tooth length in adult specimens. Waist indistinct, with barb and one pointed blade covering less than one quarter of anterior portion. Serrations absent. There is an external cusp starting at the base of the adapical opening, almost equal in size to the blade on the opposite side of the tooth. This external cusp is short, pointed and non-serrated. Immediately below the indistinct waist, there is a small oblique fringe with a serrated edge consisting of 4–5 blunt denticles pointing towards the anterior portion. A shaft fold is present, although difficult to detect in adults due to the elongation of the tooth. Slanted base, with a large basal spur present. Several specimens of P. smirnoides (cox1 gene fragment) have been sequenced (Fig. 2). The placement of this species in the Profundiconus clade is confirmed, although the relationships with other species of Profundiconus, most notably with P. teramachii, were not resolved satisfactorily (Tenorio & Castelin 2016).