Abstract
In the last few years, a sharp increase in the number of descriptions of new species of West African cone snails, particularly from the Cabo Verde Archipelago, has taken place. In previous studies, we used mitogenome sequences for reconstructing robust phylogenies, which comprised in total 120 individuals representing the majority of species (69.7%) described from this biogeographical region (except Angolan endemics) and grouped into seven genera within the family Conidae. Here, we add another 12 individuals representing endemic species that were missing in the previous studies. We use the phylogenies to identify monophyletic groups and a genetic divergence threshold (0.2% uncorrected p distance) to determine the number of valid species. As a result, the number of valid West African cone species could be drastically reduced to at least 40%, indicating that some recent poor-quality descriptions loosely based on phenotypic characters prone to convergence such as the shape and color patterns of the shell have contributed substantially to taxonomic inflation. Several previously accepted species with a reduced geographical distribution now become phenotypic forms of the remaining valid species, which increase their distribution ranges. In contrast, several cryptic species are now uncovered and described. For instance, Africonus insulae sp. nov. and Kalloconus canariensis sp. nov. are hereby introduced as new species. A detailed systematic account with illustrations and relevant information is presented. Lectotypes are designated for Conus trochulus and Conus irregularis, and neotypes for Conus crotchii and Conus diminutus. According to our results, it is strongly recommended that any future introduction of new taxa names for cone snails from West Africa should be supported by molecular and/or anatomical rather than exclusively shell morphological data. The taxonomic decisions here taken have direct implications for conservation and will eventually require re-evaluation of the Red List risk status of an important number of species.
Highlights
The more than 900 described species of cone snails (Caenogastropoda, Conidae; WoRMS, accessed March 2020) are widely found in all tropical and subtropical seas from intertidal zones to deep waters
We have reviewed in detail the species of cone snails from West Africa, excluding the endemics from Angola
The analysis of almost complete mitogenome sequences for 131 individuals has proved to be of utmost importance in the reconstruction of robust phylogenetic trees, which were used as an evolutionary framework to revise the taxonomy of these gastropods (Abalde et al 2017a, 2017b; this work)
Summary
The more than 900 described species of cone snails (Caenogastropoda, Conidae; WoRMS, accessed March 2020) are widely found in all tropical and subtropical seas from intertidal zones to deep waters. Studies on biodiversity of cone snails have mostly been focused on species from the IndoWest Pacific region (e.g., Röckel et al 1995; Duda et al 2001) to the detriment of others such as West Africa (e.g., Monteiro et al 2004; Cunha et al 2005; Duda & Rolan 2005). This region extends from Angola along the African coast to Morocco, including the Cabo Verde and the Canary Islands, among other archipelagos. Many of these new species names were introduced in non-peer reviewed amateur
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