Moerella laperousea Raines &amp; Huber 2012, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Raines, Bret
name: Huber, Markus
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Mollusca
Bivalvia
Cardiida
Tellinidae
Moerella
Moerella laperousea

description: <i>Moerella laperousea</i> sp. nov. Figures 39 A–F <b>Type Material.</b> Holotype: LACM 3169, 1 articulated specimen, 10.5 mm. Paratypes 1–4: LACM 3170, 4 single valves from the type locality. Paratypes 5–6: LACM 3171, 2 articulated specimens, 4.5 mm from Tahai, 30–50 m. Paratypes 7–12: LACM 3172, 1 articulated specimen and 5 single valves, up to 12.5 mm from Tahai, 50–100 m. Paratypes 13–18: Coll. MHU, 1 articulated specimen and 5 single valves from Tahai, 50–100 m. <b>Type Locality.</b> Dredged at 50–150 m in sand, La Perouse Bay, Easter Island, 27°04’26” S, 109°16’50” W. <b>Description.</b> A finely commarginally sculptured, radially orange-red colored <i>Moerella</i> with the characteristic short and strong anterior lateral tooth in the RV and an opisthogyrate position of the umbones. Shell moderately small, not exceeding 13 mm, elongate-ovate, posteriorly with a weak flexure and obscurely rostrate; rather thin; white with 5–6 broad orange-red radial streaks, emanating from the umbones; internal posteriorly and in the nymphal area rose red in some, otherwise white; no lunule; umbones very low, small, opisthogyrate, situated at the posterior third of the valve. Prodissoconch round, moderately elevated, P1 somewhat pitted, ca. 118 µm length by 93 µm height, P2 with faint to weak commarginal lines, ca. 228 µm length by 185 µm height. Adult valves compressed. Sculpture of dense, regular, commarginal threads. Hinge line rather thin, in RV with a strong, bifid posterior and a weak anterior cardinal, a short, strong anterior lateral and a nymphal posterior lateral. LV with a single strong bifid cardinal, laterals thin and vanishing. Pallial sinus very deep, ventrally surpassing anterior adductor scar, confluent; both muscle scars are comparatively large. External ligament rather short and strong, resting on a nymph, yellowish-brown. Margins smooth. <b>Comparative diagnosis.</b> With regard to placement of this new species, the commarginal sculpture and lateral dentition exclude <i>Loxoglypta</i> Dall, Bartsch &amp; Rehder, 1938, and the finer sculpture and lateral dentition exclude <i>Nitidotellina</i> Scarlato, 1965, as well. The hinge with a pronounced anterior lateral in the RV, vanishing laterals in the LV and the deep, confluent pallial sinus, together with shape, size and sculpture match the European type species of <i>Moerella</i> quite well. This assessment was shared by A. Langleit, (pers. comm., 2010). None of the illustrated <i>Moerella</i> species from Australia, New Zealand or Japan are particularly close. <b>Remarks.</b> There is nothing similar known from the Hawaiian Islands. <b>Distribution.</b> <i>Moerella laperousea</i> is commonly found from 30–200 m in fine sand, at various Easter Island locations, notably off the western coastline near Tahai— <b>E1</b>. <b>Etymology.</b> The name reflects the type locality.
description: Published as part of <i>Raines, Bret &amp; Huber, Markus, 2012, 3217, pp. 1-106 in Zootaxa 3217</i> on pages 76-78
description: {"references": ["Dall, W. H., Bartsch, P. &amp; Rehder, H. A. (1938) A manual of the recent and fossil marine pelecypod mollusks of the Hawaiian Islands. Bernice P. Bishop Museum Bulletin, 153, 1 - 33.", "Scarlato, O. A. (1965) Superfamily Tellinacea (Bivalvia) from China. Studia Marina Sinica, 8, 26 - 114."]}