R. Houart&S.Gori 
Novapex 12(1-2): 39-45, 10 mars 2011 
Description of two new Favartia species 
(Gastropoda: Muricidae: Muricopsinae) 
from Masirah Island, Oman, Arabian Peninsula 
Roland HOUART 
Research Associate 
Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique 
Rue Vautier, 29, B-1000 Bruxelles, Belgium 
roland.houart@skynet.be 
Sandro GOR1 
Via Sernesi, 7 
57123 Livorno, Italy 
sandrogori@fastwebnet.it 
KEYWORDS. Eastern Indian Océan, Arabian Peninsula, Oman, Gastropoda, Muricidae, Favartia 
n. sp. 
ABSTRACT. Two new species of Muricidae are described and compared with similar looking 
species from the western Indian Océan. The Favartia species from the studied area are ail 
illustrated. 
INTRODUCTION 
There are currently 64 known Recent species of 
Favartia s.s. and 22 of Favartia (Pygmaepterys) 
(sensu Houart, in litt.). Twenty-five of these species 
occur in the Indian Océan of which 12 are also 
recorded in the western Indian Océan and 8 in the 
studied area, more precisely, Oman and nearby areas: 
Favartia (Favartia) cecalupoi Bozzetti, 1993, F. (F.) 
cyclostoma (Sowerby, 1841), F. (F.) deynzeri Houart, 
1998, F. (F.) flexirostris (Melvill, 1898), F. (F.) 
marjoriae (Melvill & Standen, 1903), F. 
(Pygmaepterys) adenensis (Houart & Wranik, 1989), 
F. (P.) paulboschi Smythe & Houart, 1984 and F. (P.) 
yemenensis (Houart & Wranik, 1989). 
The Mollusca of this part of the world were 
recently commented on and illustrated in several 
publications and books. The first publication, by 
Biggs (1973), includes Mollusca of the Trucial Coast, 
at the southem end of the Persian Gulf (United Arabs 
Emirates), but only a few muricids were listed and one 
was illustrated: Hexaplex kusterianus (Tapparone- 
Canefri, 1875). Doreen Sharabati (1981) followed 
with a fully illustrated volume with over 100 species 
of mollusks depicting their habitats, their uses by man 
throughout the years and illustrating rnany species in 
their habitat. In 1982, Kathleen Smythe published a 
small book about the seashells of the Arabian Gulf, 
but only a few species were illustrated. Still in 1982 
and then in 1989, Donald and Eloise Bosch published 
two very useful books devoted to the seashells of 
Oman and of Southern Arabia with numerous color 
illustrations of the shells. Then more recently, a team 
of specialists, well known for their many contributions 
to the study of mollusks, Donald T. Bosch, S. Peter 
Dance, Robert G. Moolenbeek and P. Graham Oliver 
(1995) published a huge and impressive book where 
more than a thousand species were described and 
illustrated. 
Three Favartia species were illustrated by these 
authors: F. (F.) cyclostoma (Sowerby, 1841) (Bosch et 
al., 1995: 119, fig. 470), F. marjoriae (Melvill & 
Standen, 1903) (Bosch et al., 1995: 119, fig. 472), F. 
(P.) paulboschi Smythe & Houart, 1984 (Bosch & 
Bosch, 1989: 58; Bosch et al., 1995: 119, fig. 472) and 
F. (P.) colombi n. sp. [under the name F. (P.) 
yemenensis] (Bosch et ah, 1995: 120, fig. 478). 
Favartia marjoriae (Melvill & Standen, 1903) 
(Figs 23-25) is probably conspecific with F. (F.) 
maculata (Reeve, 1845) (Fig. 26), a species living 
throughout the Indo-West Pacific and known to hâve 
very variable shell characters. The protoconch of F. 
marjoriae lias not yet been examined, but this and 
eventually DNA studies of F. marjoriae and of 
different forms of F. maculata will be necessary to 
confirm or réfuté their conspecificity. 
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