On Coralliophila richardi (P. Fischer, 1882) and its synonymy with C. lactuca Dall, 1889 (GASTROPODA: Muricidae: Coralliophilinae), with notes on original descriptions, type material, and related taxa

On Coralliophila richardi (P. Fischer, 1882) and its synonymy with C. lactuca Dall, 1889 (GASTROPODA: Muricidae: Coralliophilinae), with notes on original descriptions, type material, and related taxa | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article On Coralliophila richardi (P. Fischer, 1882) and its synonymy with C. lactuca Dall, 1889 (GASTROPODA: Muricidae : Coralliophilinae ), with notes on original descriptions, type material, and related taxa Michael M. Bommerer This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7924843/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Coralliophila richardi (P. Fischer, 1882) is re-evaluated through direct examination of type material and original descriptions, confirming its synonymy with C. lactuca Dall, 1889. The species exhibits a compact ovoid shell with a short spire and foliaceous lamellae—an unusual trait within the Coralliophilinae, otherwise characterized by squamose or scaly sculpture. It occurs at bathyal depths between 278 and 896 m, associated with framework-forming scleractinians (Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata) in both the eastern and western Atlantic. Recent phylogenomic analyses indicate that C. richardi and the western Pacific Emozamia licina (Hedley & Petterd, 1906) constitute a single genetic lineage spanning the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific, representing the first verified example of a cosmopolitan corallivorous muricid. Pending formal taxonomic revision, the Indo-Pacific population is provisionally retained under its traditional designation to maintain comparative consistency. Comparative morphological and ecological analyses with the Indo-West Pacific Coralliophila fimbriata (A. Adams, 1853), lamellate Babelomurex species, and the superficially similar shallow-water muricid Crassilabrum crassilabrum (Gray, 1828) reveal that foliaceous varices have evolved independently within Muricidae and cannot, in isolation, be regarded as indicative of phylogenetic affinity. To contextualize C. richardi within the regional fauna, a consolidated checklist of Atlantic and Mediterranean Coralliophilinae is provided, incorporating verified distributional and bathymetric data standardized according to the UNESCO/IOC GOODS and NOAA CMECS benthic frameworks, refined following the insular biogeographic model of Ávila et al. (2018). The results clarify the morphological diagnosis, bathymetric distribution, and ecological associations of C. richardi, establishing it as the sole unequivocally lamellate representative of the Atlantic–Mediterranean Coralliophilinae and highlighting its evolutionary equivalence with E. licina. The study emphasizes the recurrent convergent evolution of lamellate sculpture within Muricidae and the necessity of integrative taxonomic approaches combining morphology, ecology, and molecular phylogenetics to resolve convergence and homology in coral-associated gastropods. No nomenclatural acts are proposed. Animal Science Marine and Freshwater Ecology Marine and Freshwater Biology Taxonomy Wildlife Biology Coralliophilinae Coralliophila richardi bathyal fauna lamellate varices taxonomy type material historical nomenclature Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7924843","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":533480336,"identity":"c45b0bc1-eaf4-466a-9150-923b19007b0b","order_by":0,"name":"Michael M. 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Fischer, 1882) is re-evaluated through direct examination of type material and original descriptions, confirming its synonymy with C. lactuca Dall, 1889. The species exhibits a compact ovoid shell with a short spire and foliaceous lamellae—an unusual trait within the Coralliophilinae, otherwise characterized by squamose or scaly sculpture. It occurs at bathyal depths between 278 and 896 m, associated with framework-forming scleractinians (Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata) in both the eastern and western Atlantic. Recent phylogenomic analyses indicate that C. richardi and the western Pacific Emozamia licina (Hedley \u0026amp; Petterd, 1906) constitute a single genetic lineage spanning the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific, representing the first verified example of a cosmopolitan corallivorous muricid. Pending formal taxonomic revision, the Indo-Pacific population is provisionally retained under its traditional designation to maintain comparative consistency. Comparative morphological and ecological analyses with the Indo-West Pacific Coralliophila fimbriata (A. Adams, 1853), lamellate Babelomurex species, and the superficially similar shallow-water muricid Crassilabrum crassilabrum (Gray, 1828) reveal that foliaceous varices have evolved independently within Muricidae and cannot, in isolation, be regarded as indicative of phylogenetic affinity. To contextualize C. richardi within the regional fauna, a consolidated checklist of Atlantic and Mediterranean Coralliophilinae is provided, incorporating verified distributional and bathymetric data standardized according to the UNESCO/IOC GOODS and NOAA CMECS benthic frameworks, refined following the insular biogeographic model of Ávila et al. (2018). 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