Skeneidae, Vitrinellidae and Orbitestellidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) associated with biogenic substrata from bathyal depths off New Zealand and New South Wales

Abstract

Skeneids, orbitestellids and a vitrinellid are recorded for the first time as characteristic components of the fauna of submerged wood. Dillwynella haptricola sp. nov. lives on decaying algal holdfasts at bathyal depths.

The following new taxa are described from New Zealand: Skeneidae—Dillwynella lignicola, D. haptricola, D. ingens, Leptogyra constricta, L. patula, Leptogyropsis (gen. nov.) kalinovoae, L. kaltanae, Xyloskenea (gen. nov.) costulifera, X. consors, X. depressa, Bathyxylophila (gen. nov.) excelsa, B. pusilla, B. iota, Hyalogyra (gen. nov.) expansa, Hyalogyrina (gen. nov.) glabra; Orbitestellidae—Xylodiscula (gen. nov.) eximia, X. librata. New taxa from New South Wales are the skeneids Xyleptogyra (gen. nov.) kapalae, Xyloskenea grahami, Bathyxylophila peroniana, B. iota, the vitrinellid Ponderinella (gen. nov.) lignicola, and the orbitestellid Xylodiscula vitrea. Lectotypes are designated for the Atlantic North American species Dillwynella modesta Dall, 1889 and Leptogyra verrilli Bush, 1897.

Keywords :

• Mollusca
• Gastropoda
• Skeneidae
• Vitrinellidae
• Orbitestellidae
• Recent taxa
• new taxa
• deep sea
• wood
• algae