The Talostolida pellucens Complex in the Tropical Eastern Pacific: In Perspective (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Cypraeidae)

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

The Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) stretches south from the Gulf of California along the west American mainland and the adjacent coastal areas, and then continues to its terminus in northern Peru. There are also five deep water oceanic islands within the TEP. The TEP coastal area encompasses the coast to the edge of the continental shelf and includes the coastal offshore islands in the Gulf of Panama. The Gulf of California and the Gulf of Panama constitute separate sub-basins within the TEP and contain the greatest diversity of molluscan fauna within the coastal area. The five TEP oceanic islands are defined as: (1) the near atoll of Clipperton, and the islands of Cocos and Malpelo which are centered in the region and (2) the two archipelagos, Revillagigedo and Galapagos which are on the northern and southern peripheries of the TEP. Clipperton is the furthest of the five main oceanic islands from the American mainland at 1,100 km, while Malpelo is the closest at 435 km. All five are volcanic and are separated by abyssal depths from the mainland and each other, and have never been connected. The Cypraeidae of the TEP, including the Talostolida pellucens (Melville, 1888) complex, have only received the attention of scientists in relatively recent times, and only on a sporadic basis. This is due to the remote location of the offshore oceanic islands they inhabit, the difficulty of access, and the challenging collecting conditions which limit that activity. The literature is sparse and, with respect to the T. pellucens complex, confusing. While the description of the populations at Clipperton and Cocos Islands provided much current information, some additional perspective will hopefully shed more light on the status of the populations.