198 
THE CORAL TRIANGLE: HEARST BIODIVERSITY EXPEDITION 
Figure 23. Conopea exothobasis, mouth parts of paratype CASIZ 187770. A labmm; B mandible; C maxilla I; D max¬ 
illa II; E mandibular palp. Scale bar = 200pm. 
Diagnosis. — Shell wall elongated on rostral end only, entire shell wall at angle to host axis, 
tipping from the carina down toward the rostrum at about a 20-30° angle; basis white, extending 
along host axis far beyond basal margin of carina, length of basis along host axis beyond carinal 
margin about same as width of shell wall excluding the rostrum, basis deepest (highest) at the cari¬ 
na basal margin, tapering to a tip at the far end of the carina end, but tapering down to, or below, 
the host axis at the latera-rostral suture; carina not sloping down to host axis, dark red vertical 
stripes with some white horizontal stripes; rostrum white with faint red vertical and horizontal 
stripes over most of external surface, sloping gindually from summit to basal margin, nearly level 
with host axis at basal margin for nearly entire width of margin, not just at tip. 
Description. — Shell wall plates forming conical shape with exception of rostmm which is 
greatly elongated along the host axis, summits even and sloping from carina down to rostmm; all 
wall plates, except rostmm, with dark red and white longitudinal stripes interrupted by horizontal 
white lines; radii red, broad with even summits; rostmm white or with very pale red and white lon¬ 
gitudinal stripes interrupted by horizontal white lines, longer than width of all other plates com¬ 
bined, entire length of basal margin in contact or nearly in contact with host axis; basis white, not 
raised above host axis under rostrum, slopmg upward from rostral margin to carma margin, then 
sloping back down at tip beyond carinal margin, extending along host axis beyond carinal margin 
by nearly same distance as width of shell wall excluding the rostrum. Basis with tubes, secondari¬ 
ly filled, Parietes solid. Scutum base convex, rises steeply towards articular fun*ow; articular fur¬ 
row about Vs total height; articular ridge about V 2 total height; occludent and tergal margins fairly 
