Abstract
Conus lightbourni Petuch, 1986 was described from Bermuda. Despite intensive study of the West Atlantic cone shell fauna, this species remains poorly known. No further mentions of this species have been made in the popular or scientific literature except for inclusions in catalogs. The remaining type specimens of C. lightbourni are re-examined. Although originally described in the subgenus Floraconus and said to be a close relative of C. anemone from Australia, C. lightbourni is actually related to C. amphiurgus Dall, 1889 and does not belong in Floraconus but rather in Dauciconus. Both species can be differentiated statistically by shell shape. These taxa arc allopatric and could be subspecies of a single polytypic species. Conus lightbourni is known only from Bermuda, whereas C. amphiurgus ranges from North Carolina to the Caribbean. However, the two should be considered separate species because no evidence that they arc conspecific exists and they can be easily distinguished from each other.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 15--18 |
| Journal | Vita Malacologica |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue number | 16 December |
| State | Published - 2008 |
Keywords
- INHS