Emilio Rolân, R. Fernândez-Garcés, C. Redfern 
New records and new species of Agathotoma 
Agathotoma ecthymata is wider and more robust, the 
shoulder more angular, and its protoconch is rather 
similar but a little narrower and its tubercles are more 
dense. 
Agathotoma apocrypha is wider, mainly on the base, 
the spiral sculpture has larger cordlets and the 
protoconch is sculptured by zigzag cords. 
Agathotoma castellata is wider, with axial ribs which 
are more eievated in the subsutural area and the 
protoconch has more whorls. 
Agathotoma kirshi spec. nov. has a larger shell, wider 
and more sculptured, and the axial ribs do not hâve a 
clear shoulder. 
Agathotoma asthenika spec. nov. has a rather similar 
shell, but it has a very different protoconch with a 
little more than 2 whorls, the first one smooth. 
Etymology. The spécifie name honours Eduardo 
Nâpoles Fernandez, grandson of the second author. 
Agathotoma prominens spec. nov. 
Figs 8A-D, 10I-J, 111, Table 1 
Type materlal. Holotype (Fig. 8A, 101), in MNCN 
(15.05/60010); Paratypes: MNHN (24832, 1 s, Fig. 
8B, 10J), MHNS (100569, 3 s), IES (2 s), USNM (1 
s), CFG (2 s), ail from the type locality; CFG (3 s) 
Canon de la bahia de Cienfuegos, 12 m; (2 s), Faro 
Luna, 20 m; CCR ( 1 s), Bajo de Sancho Pardo, 15 m; 
MHNS (100569, 2 s), from Cayo Maria la Gorda, 12 
m; (100569, 1 s), Cayo Witties, 12 m, Nicaragua. 
Type locality. Faro de los Colorados, Cienfuegos, 20 
m, Cuba. 
Other material examined. Cuba: 2 s, 1 j, Itabo, 
Gavilân, Cienfuegos. 22°00 , 890”N, 80°24'832”W, 10 
m (MHNS); 1 s, 5 f, Rancho Luna, Cienfuegos, 10-20 
m (MHNS). Nicaragua: 1 f, Cayo Witties, 12 m. 
Bahamas: Abaco: 1 s, Sandy Cay, 7m. 
Description. Shell with rhomboidal profile, solid, 
pointed, cream with three irregular spiral brown 
bands. 
Protoconch with 2.25 whorls, a diameter of about 510 
gm, a nucléus of about 100 pm, the last Vi whorl with 
11 curved axial ribs, the rest being smooth. 
Teleoconch of about 3.5 whorls, which hâve a 
prominent and angular shoulder just below the suture. 
Each whorl has prominent, almost orthocline ribs, 
prominent on the shoulder and narrower than their 
interspaces. Spiral sculpture of numerous and variable 
cordlets (about 15 on the first and more than 60 on the 
body whorl). High magni fi cation shows the cordlets to 
be rugose, bearing numerous axially elongate nodules 
which mainly overlap the interspace below. 
Interspaces sometimes with fine growth Unes and 
numerous irregular minute micro-tubercles. Aperture 
oval elongate, extended by a short siphonal canal that 
is wide at the base but constricted above; also with a 
deep sinus on the upper part. Peristome wide, with the 
same microsculpture as the shell. 
Dimensions: The holotype is 4.1 mm in length. One 
paratype reaches 5.2 mm in length. 
Distribution. Only known from Cuba, Nicaragua and 
the Bahamas. 
Remarks. Comparison may be made with the 
following species: 
Agathotoma candidissima is usually larger, a little 
wider, more rounded in profile, the shoulder is less 
pronounced and not angular, the colour is white 
sometimes with faded spiral bands. 
Agathotoma ecthymata is wider at the base, more 
robust, the ribs are a little prominent but less angular, 
and has a paucispiral protoconch. 
Agathotoma apocrypha is narrower, wider at the base, 
the shoulder less prominent and the spiral sculpture 
has larger cordlets; the protoconch is short and 
strongly sculptured by zigzag cords. 
Agathotoma castellata is usually smaller, narrower, 
the shoulder is less prominent and the ribs are more 
eievated; the colour does not form spiral bands. 
We include images (Figs. 9A-B, 10O) of Glyphoturris 
rugirima (Dali, 1889) with a detail of the 
microsculpture (Fig. 9C). It can appear similar to the 
species here described, but differs due to its very 
irregular and prominent spiral cords. 
Etymology. The spécifie name is derived from the 
Latin word “ prominens ”, prominent, alluding to the 
projecting angulation on the axial ribs. 
Agathotoma sp. 
Fig 10P-Q 
Remarks. Also we found a large shell that is 
apparently différent from ail those previously studied, 
but it could be a gerontic form of A. candidissima. We 
wait for more material in order to reach a conclusion. 
CONCLUSION 
The Caribbean is an area very rich in biodiversity. It is 
expected that more species from many groups will be 
described in the future. In the group that we hâve 
examined in the présent work the profile of the shells, 
in particular the shape of the upper part of the ribs, 
was considered to be very important and was 
consistent in many samples. 
Foi comparison, we show in Figure 11 how the 
ditteient profile of the shells dépends on the shape of 
the upper part of the axial ribs below the suture. 
As a séparation for the species mentioned in the 
présent work we add a Dichotomous Key on the basis 
of the most important différences. 
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