Coral Cerith

Cerithium coralium Kiener, 1841

Cerithium coralium “Dufresne” Kiener, 1841, pl. 8: fig. 3 [holotype: not located; type locality: Indian Ocean; neotype, herein selected: USNM 634420, Tap, Caroline Islands, 37.7 mm × 12.9 mm]; 1842:32–33.— Sowerby, 1855:863, pl. 179: fig. 63.

Cerithium granosum Kiener, 1841:1, pl. 4: fig. 3 [lectotype, herein selected: MNHNP, no number, 20 mm × 6.7 mm; type locality: Timor, erroneously cited “Red Sea” in description; not Cerithium granosum Borson, 1821, nor Valenciennes, 1832, nor Wood, 1848]; 1842:57–58 [may be Cerithium scabridum].—Sowerby, 1855:863, pl. 181: figs. 123, 124; 1865, pl 11: fig. 73.—Tryon, 1887:132, pl. 23: fig. 9.—Kobelt, 1898:221. pl. 39: figs. 12, 13.

Cerithium ustum Hombron and Jacquinot, 1852, pl 23: figs. 18, 19 [holotype: MNHNP, no number: type locality: Solomon Islands]; 1854:100.

Cerithium mitraeforme Sowerby, 1855:873, pl. 183: fig. 190 [holotype: BMNH 1986173; type locality not given; 18.4 mm × 6.2 mm]; 1865, pl. 11: fig. 74.—Tryon, 1887:132, pl. 23: figs. 5, 6.—Kobelt, 1898:214, pl. 38: fig. 4.

Cerithium corallinum [sic] Kiener.—Sowerby, 1865, pl. 5: fig. 29.

Cerithium corallinum [sic] Dufresne.—Tryon, 1887:125, pl. 21: fig. 36; pl. 24: fig. 46 [in error for coralium Kiener].

Cerithium (Ptychocerithium) ickei Martin, 1914:161–162, pl. 5: figs. 128–129 [holotype: RMGM Leiden ST107566; type locality: Miocene of East Borneo; not Cerithium ickei Vignal, 1908].

Cerithium nanggulanense Vignal, 1915:136 [new name for Cerithium ickei Martin, 1914].

Cerithium duffieldi Iredale, 1929:278 [new name for Cerithium granosum Kiener, 1841].

Cerithium (Ptychocerithium) nanggulanense.—Martin, 1931:38, pl. 5: fig. 13.

Cerithium eojavanum Altena, 1938:208 [new name for Cerithium nanggulanense Martin, 1914].

Cerithium (Thericium) coralium Kiener.—Wissemma, 1947:61–62.—Ladd, 1982:32, pl. 37: figs. 6–8.

Cerithium (Thericium) ruppelli Philippi.—Ladd, 1972:38, pl. 9: fig. 16 [not Cerithium ruppelli Philippi, 1848].

Cerithium rubus Martyn.—Popenoe and Kleinpell, 1978, pl. 2: figs. 23, 24 [not Cerithium rubus Martyn, 1786; is C. coralium Kiener, 1841].

Clypeomorus coralium (Kiener, 1841).—Springsteen and Leobrera, 1986:62, pl. 13: fig. 17.

DESCRIPTION.—Shell (Figures 37, 38A–G): Shell strong, elongate, turreted, comprising 12–18 straight-sided whorls, attaining 48.1 mm length and 16 mm width. Protoconch (Figure 38E) with 4 sculptured whorls and sinusigeral notch. Early teleoconch (Figure 38G) elongate, comprising sharp shell apex, sculptured with two splral cords gradually becoming beaded and crossed by weak axial riblets. Ribs becoming stronger and colabral as whorls increase in size. Adult teleoconch whorls sculptured with three major beaded spiral cords crossed by 11 to 21 axial ribs, and with many fine spiral threads and incised lines. Beads on spirals aligned with axial ribs. Number of axial ribs twice the usual number. Varices randomly distributed. Suture deeply impressed; narrow postsutural ramp on each whorl. Body whorl wide, sculptured with 5 or 6 beaded, spiral cords, numerous fine spiral striae, usually lacking axial ribs, and with strong varix opposite outer lip of aperture. Body whorl weakly constricted at base. Aperture fusiform, narrow, a little less than one third the shell length. Columella moderately concave with thick callus and columellar lip. Anterior siphonal canal short, thick, broad, only slightly reflected. Anal canal deep, flanked by strong parietal columellar callus and tooth. Outer lip thick at edge, crenulate and with inner elongate denticles; wide posterior sinus formed where outer lip joins penultimate whorl. Shell color dark brown to dirty gray, sometimes striped with brown or dirty white; beads dark. Aperture white, sometimes brown. Measurements (Table 17). Periostracum brown. Operculum dark brown, thick, corneous and ovate with eccentric nucleus.

Radula (Figure 39): Type-1 radular ribbon (Figure 3A) very small, short, about one-ninth the shell length. Rachidian tooth (Figure 39B,D) rectangular, with central, posterior, triangular extension and pair of posterior, basal lunate ridges on basal plate. Front of rachidian tooth concave; cutting edge with large spade-shaped main cusp flanked on each side by 2, or 3 small denticles. Lateral tooth (Figure 39B–D) with broad basal plate, strong central ridge, and long posterior lateral extension. Cutting edge of lateral tooth with large main cusp, one inner flanking denticle, and 3 or 4 outer flanking denticles. Marginal teeth (Figure 39C) with wide bases and central shafts, curved apices, and sharp tips. Inner marginal tooth with long sharp main cusp, 2 or 3 inner flanking denticles and 1 or 2 outer flanking denticles. Outer marginal tooth same, but without outer flanking denticles.

Anatomy: Body long, slender, comprising 6 or 7 whorls. Head-foot dirty gray over light orange background. Head with broad, short, blackish snout, rounded dorsally and flat ventrally. Cephalic tentacles each with long, wide peduncle and short, thin shaft striped transversely with black. Eyes tiny, black, bordered with large black band. Mantle edge yellow, fringed with many fine, long papillae. Inhalant siphon black along edge and with deep orange interior. Small papillae in mantle cavity at inhalant siphon.

Osphradium narrow, tall, bipectinate. Gray ctenidium long, narrow and with very long, finger-like filaments. Hypobranchial gland orange, thin, lacking transverse folds. Salivary glands originating behind nerve ring, passing through it, and becoming tightly coiled on buccal mass near exit of glands into oral cavity. Small esophageal gland present.

Type-C palliai oviduct (Figure 4C) with long sperm gutter opening into white spermatophore bursa (Figure 40); spermatophore bursa yellow at posterior end of medial lamina. No seminal receptacle in medial lamina. Lateral lamina thin, with wide ciliated area comprising sperm gutter at anterior end (Figure 40, lsg) partially covered by thin flap of tissue (Figure 40, F leading into small seminal receptacle (Figure 40, osr) at posterior of lateral lamina. Oviductal groove deep and glandular at posterior end of palliai oviduct.

Nervous system having RPG ratio (Davis et al., 1976:263) of 0.64.

SYNONYMIC

Cerithium coralium is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cerithiidae.