Two new living species of Loxotaphrus (Gastropoda: Cancellariidae: Plesiotritoninae) from Queensland, Australia and Mozambique, East Africa

Abstract

Until now, the only living species assigned. to the cancellariid genus Loxotaphrus Harris , 1897 was the West African species L. deshayesii (Duval, 1841). Two new living species are described here, L. limpusi n. sp., from the Swain Reefs, Queensland, and L. rosadoi n. sp., from off southern Mozambique. L. limpusi most closely resembles the type species of the genus, L. variciferus (Tate, 1888) (Miocene, southern Australia). Although L. rosadoi resembles L. variciferus and L. limpusi more closely than it does L.. deshayesii, it differs from all other species ,assigned to Loxotaphrus in having weak sculpture, apart from the prominent, sharp nodules around the peripheral keel.

Key words:

• Cancellariidae
• Plesiotritoninae
• taxonomy
• Australia
• Mozambique
• SE Africa