Vol. 94 (3)
July 8(1, 1980
THE NAUTILUS 115
A NEW FALSILYRIA (VOLUTIDAE) AND A NEW CONUS
(CONIDAE) FROM ROATAN ISLAND, HONDURAS (ATLANTIC)
Edward J. Petuch
Department of Zijology
University of Maryland
College Park, Maryland 20742
Recent increased collecting off the coast of
Roatan Island, Honduras, (approximately
16°20'N, 86°15'W) has brought to light a number
of unusual and atypical Caribbean gastropods.
Tlie fauna of this area, containing such species as
Fnlsiiyria demarcoi (Olsson, 1965), Pleioptygma
helenne (Radwin and Bibbey, 1977), and Tiir-
binella scolimoides (Dall, 1890) (E. Yokes. 1966),
more closely resembles the fauna of the Pliocene
Caloosahatchee Formation of Florida than it does
the modern Caribbean Molluscan Province (E.
Yokes, 1966:63). In essence, the molluscan
assemblages of the Recent Bay of Honduras most
probably represent pockets of Pliocene relicts
that, in turn, derived from the Tertiary faunas of
the southeastern United States.
The archaic nature of the Roatan Island fauna
is further reinforced by the recent discoveries of
the second known living species of Falsilyiia and
an unusual new species of shallow water Conns.
These interesting new Caribbean gastropods are
herein described.
FAMILY Yolutidae
Genus FdsUipia Pilsbry and Olsson, 1954
Falsilyria morrisoni new species
(Figs. 1-6)
Shell description: Shiny, highly polished; body
heavy, thickened, with 4 to 5 whorls; body whorl
with 7 to 12 rounded major axial ribs and 30 to
60 sharply defined minor axial ribs; spire ele-
vated, turriculate; shoulder angled with blunt
coronations; spire whorls with 3 or 4 raised,
beaded spiral cords; protoconch large, with 3 bul-
bous, smooth whorls; aperture elongate, roughly
^/3 of total shell length; columella with 8 or 9 ma-
jor plications and 3 to 6 minor plications; plica-
tions heavily beaded; outer lip thickened and
flaring in adults; color of base of shell salmon-
pink to rose-red with 6 to 8 evenly-spaced revolv-
ing bands of alternating black and white spots;
base color overlaid with numerous fine red-brown
specklings and scattered large dark brown
blotches; protoconch salmon -(j range; interior of
aperture pale pinkish white turning white toward
outer lip; columellar region and plications
salmon-pink; outer lip white with 11 to 14 raised
black denticulations; operculum unknown.
Type locality: 60 m depth off north coast of
Roatan Island, Honduras.
Distribution: At present, known only from off
Roatan Island.
Material examined: Holotype
BioStor
