Abstract
A new species of gastropod, Episcomitra angelesae (Neogastropoda: Mitridae), is described from specimens collected in the upper bathyal level of the Alboran Sea (Seco de los Olivos and Alboran Ridge). The new species is compared with other similar species known from the Atlanto-Mediterranean area, including Episcomitra zonata (Marryat, 1819) and Isara turtoni (Watson, 1890). The habitat of this new species, hard substrate with coral rubble patches at 250-320 m depth on submarine elevations, is very unusual in the Mediterranean Sea and is described based on Remotely Operated Vehicle video footage. The amount of coral rubble on the type locality is disproportionate to the very few live coral colonies found in the vicinity, and is assumed to be relict of former hydrological conditions.
Highlights
Miter shells are a group of mostly tropical and shallow water gastropods, which comprise about 400 species worldwide (WoRMS, 2021) but are represented by only three Recent species in European seas including the Mediterranean Sea
A new species of gastropod, Episcomitra angelesae (Neogastropoda: Mitridae), is described from specimens collected in the upper bathyal level of the Alboran Sea (Seco de los Olivos and Alboran Ridge)
This paper reports on a mitrid species which was known to us for many years by a single, enigmatic specimen collected in 1958 by R/V “Calypso” from 175-200 m, together with the cowry Schilderia achatidea (Gray, 1837) on the northern-east slope of the Alboran platform, and tentatively identified as a juvenile and monochromatic specimen of Episcomitra zonata (Marryat, 1819)
Summary
Miter shells (family Mitridae) are a group of mostly tropical and shallow water gastropods, which comprise about 400 species worldwide (WoRMS, 2021) but are represented by only three Recent species in European seas including the Mediterranean Sea. The influx of surface Atlantic Water (AW) forms two semi-permanent anticyclonic gyres, whereas in the deeper part of the basin, Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW) flows westwards along with Western Mediterranean Deep Water (WMDW) and eventually discharges into the Gulf of Cádiz through the Strait of Gibraltar (Heburn & La Violette, 1990; Vargas-Yáñez et al, 2021) Those AW and LIW water masses mix at their interface, at a depth which varies according to the location in the basin and to temporal changes, but is situated at ca 200 m. Shells of this mitrid species were collected in the INDEMARES Alboran expedition on the Alboran Ridge using a rock dredge (80 x 20 cm frame) in 2012, and in the ATLAS/MEDWAVES 0916 expedition on the Seco de los Olivos with a Van Veen grab (30×20 cm) in 2016. MNCN: Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, Spain; MNHN: Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France; lv: live taken specimen; dd: dead shell; H: maximum shell height, from apex to siphonal canal; D_ maximum shell diameter, measured perpendicular to coiling axis; sta: sampling station; ROV: Remotely Operated Vehicle
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