Conasprella (Conasprella) boucheti
Creators: name: Tenorio, Manuel J.
name: Puillandre, Nicolas
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Mollusca
Gastropoda
Neogastropoda
Conidae
Conasprella
Conasprella boucheti

description: Conasprella (Conasprella) boucheti (Richard, 1983)
Figs 2, 34–35
Conus (Endemoconus) boucheti Richard, 1983: 53.
Conus species no. 108, 108a – Estival 1981: 110–111.
Conus boucheti – R̂ckel et al. 1995b: no. 237, pl. 51 figs 21–24.
Endemoconus boucheti – Tucker & Tenorio 2013: 115.
Conasprella boucheti – Monnier et al. 2018a: 196.
Material examined
176 lots (438 specimens). See Supp. file 1.
Type material
Holotype NEW CALEDONIA • 17.5 mm; SW of Île des Pins, off New Caledonia; 22°05′ S, 167°15′ E; 400 m depth; MNHN-IM-2000-2578 (Fig. 34A).
Figured material
NEW CALEDONIA • 23.8 mm; off New Caledonia, stn CC246; 22º08′ S, 167º11′ E; 410‒420 m depth; 3 Oct. 1985; MUSORSTOM 4 expedition; MNHN (Fig. 34B) • 24.5 mm; Plateau des Chesterfield, off New Caledonia, stn DW2610; 19º34′ S, 158º41′ E; 486‒494 m depth; 19 Oct. 2005; EBISCO expedition; MNHN (Fig. 34C) • 20.8 mm; Loyalty Ridge, off New Caledonia, stn DW460; 21º02′ S, 167º31′ E; 420 m depth; 20 Feb. 1989; MUSORSTOM 6 expedition; MNHN (Fig. 34D) • 27.3 mm; Lansdowne Fairway, off New Caledonia, stn DE16; 20º48′ S, 160º56′ E; 500 m depth; 21 Jul. 1988; CORAIL 2 expedition; MNHN (Fig. 34E) • 24.8 mm; off S New Caledonia, stn DW222; 22º58′ S, 167º33′ E; 410‒440 m depth; 30 Sep. 1985; MUSORSTOM 4 expedition; MNHN (Fig. 34F) • 20.2 mm; Norfolk Ridge, Banc Jumeau Est, off New Caledonia, stn DW13; 23°45′ S, 168°17′ E; 400 m depth; 12 Aug. 1999; LITHIST expedition; MNHN (Fig. 34G) • 17.2 mm; Loyalty Ridge, off New Caledonia, stn DW459; 21º01′ S, 167º31′ E; 425 m depth; 20 Feb. 1989; MUSORSTOM 6 expedition; MNHN (Fig. 34H) • 18.5 mm; same collection data as for preceding; MNHN (Fig. 34I) • 18 mm; Nova Bank Nord, off New Caledonia, stn DW2534; 22º17′ S, 159º28′ E; 390‒430 m depth; 10 Oct. 2005; EBISCO expedition; MNHN (Fig. 34J) • 12.6 mm; Loyalty Ridge, off New Caledonia, stn DW487; 21º23′ S, 167º46′ E; 500 m depth; 23 Feb. 1989; MUSORSTOM 6 expedition; MNHN (Fig. 34K) • 19.6 mm; Norfolk Ridge, Munida, off New Caledonia, stn DW3107; 23º01′ S, 169º23′ E; 380‒440 m depth; 27 Oct. 2008; TERRASSES expedition; MNHN (Fig. 34L) • 19 mm; Grand Passage, off N New Caledonia, stn DW3003; 18º34′ S, 163º08′ E; 450-454 m depth; 7 May 2008; CONCALIS expedition; Atheris coll. (Fig. 34M).
Geographical distribution and bathymetry
New Caledonia, Coral Sea and New Hebrides Arc including Vanuatu, typically at depths between 300 and 600 m. Also reported from Fiji at depths of 390‒405 m (Moolenbeek et al. 2008).
Remarks
Small to medium-sized (maximum shell length 30 mm) conical shell with a carinate shoulder and moderately high spire of concave outline. Protoconch multispiral of about 3 whorls (Fig. 34L). Teleoconch sutural ramp with strong radial threads. There are 3 or 4 closely-set punctate spiral grooves just below the shoulder. Other than this, the last whorl can be essentially smooth, or variably covered with wide, axially striate spiral grooves. The typical shell pattern consists of about 6–8 broad brown spiral lines on the ribbons between the basal spiral grooves, but certain specimens also display interrupted brown bars and dashes or irregular brown blotches on the lavender-white area above the basal third. Radular tooth (Fig. 34M) with an indistinct barb and a pointed blade covering about one third of the anterior section, which is much shorter than the posterior section. Shaft fold present. Basal spur is present on top of the slanted base. This is a relatively abundant species in deep water around New Caledonia. In the phylogeny (Fig. 2), all the sequenced specimens of C. boucheti form a well-supported clade which is sister to the other species of Conasprella.
description: Published as part of Tenorio, Manuel J. & Puillandre, Nicolas, 2023, Revision of the deep-water cone snail fauna from New Caledonia (Gastropoda, Conoidea), pp. 1-134 in European Journal of Taxonomy 896 on page 48, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2023.896.2291, http://zenodo.org/record/8405510