“Aeneator (Ellicea) loisae new species
Description: Shell moderately large for genus, somewhat elongate fusiform, chalky yellowish white in color, covered with a thin light straw-colored periostracum. Nuclear whorls missing; remaining whorls number about six. Early whorls moderately convex, obscurely angulate at periphery (a character that disappears in the later whorls), marked by strong axial, rather distant, retractively curved ribs which are crossed by fine equidistant spiral cords; these ribs, which number 14 on the antepenultimate whorl, gradually diminish in strength until they disappear completely on the last ⅛ of the penultimate whorl; penultimate whorl rather convex, with eleven spiral cords, the first three, below the suture, finer and crowded, the others equidistant. Last whorl convex, the spiral cords below the first three finer subsutural cords may have one or two finer threads in the interspaces; below the periphery the spiral cords become somewhat more crowded. Anterior canal rather long, somewhat bent, open, parietal and columellar area with a sharply delimited, thin, shiny glaze. Aperture elongate ovate, outer lip reflexed, somewhat thickened, scalloped, with a broad sinus above the periphery, the upper edge strongly retracted, the lower and longer edge curving forward at a right angle into the broadly arcuate portion of the lower part of the outer lip.
The radula ribbon, is about 9 mm long and 0.5 mm wide, with 97 rows of mature teeth and 7 rows of immature teeth. Most of the ribbon is white with rows 73-97 brownish.
The penis in the preserved state is creamy white and about 30 mm long.
Measurements: Holotype: USNM 701667; height: 74.7 mm; width 37.3 mm, length of spire 34.4 mm.
Remarks: Because of the similarity of the radula of this species (fig. 8A) to those of Aeneator, Aeneator (Ellicea), and the related genus Penion, and the close resemblance of the shell of our new Chilean species to that of A. (Ellicea) benthicolus Dell (1963, p. 210, pl. 1, figs. 5-6), found in 200-340 fathoms off the northeastern coast of North Island, New Zealand, I am considering this species to belong to the New Zealand group Aeneator (Ellicea). The occurrence of this genus on the other side of the South Pacific Ocean from New Zealand, an extension of range amounting to about 5,000 miles, is of great interest not because it is wholly unexpected or novel but because it adds another group to those genera and groups of species of mollusks that show similar patterns of distribution. An example of this pattern is Argobuccinum ranelliforme (King, 1832) from southern Chile, and A. tumidum (Dunker, 1862) from New Zealand.
Our species differs from its closest relative A. (E.) benthicolus Dell in being larger, with a relatively wider and more inflated body whorl, with more prominent axial ribs on the spire, and a slightly deeper sinus on the outer lip. From the other living species, A. (E.) recens Dell, 1951 ( Dell, 1956, p. 101, fig. 142 ), it differs in possessing weaker, less angulate, axial ribs on the spire and body whorl. The earliest whorls of the specimen of A. (E.) loisae are missing but from the nature of the remaining early whorls the protoconch appears to have been paucispiral and somewhat elevated, differing in this respect from the protoconch of specimens of A. (E.) benthicolus which is low, broad, and which numbers 2½ whorls. More perfect material of the new species is needed before the possible importance of this character can be assessed.
This species is named for my wife.”
(Rehder, 1971: 593-594)
