Africonus antoniaensis Cossignani & Fiadeiro, 2014

Fig. 3A

Africonus antoniaensis Cossignani & Fiadeiro, 2014a: 16.

Africonus padarosae Cossignani & Fiadeiro, 2018a: 18. syn. nov.

Material examined

Holotype

CABO VERDE • 15.6 mm; Boa Vista Island, Baía Antónia; 0.5 to 5 m depth on rocky bottom; MMM.

Other material

CABO VERDE • 14.5 mm; Boa Vista Island, Água Doce; 16º12′29″ N, 22º44′7″ W; 19 Apr. 2015; MNCN exped.; GenBank mitochondrion, partial genome: MF491587; MNCN 15.05/79889 (Fig. 3A) • 13.4 mm, holotype of Africonus padarosae; Boa Vista Island, Baixa de Padaroso; MMM.

Geographical distribution

North of Boa Vista Island, Cabo Verde Archipelago, from Ponta do Sol towards the east, including Derrubado area.

Conservation status in IUCN Red List

Not evaluated.

Remarks

The specimen sequenced from this recently described taxon appears closely related to A. damottai, but at a genetic distance consistent with its consideration as a valid species. The shell of the recently described A. padarosae is morphologically very close to that of A. antoniaensis, and separation at the species level is unsupported, as it falls within the morphological variability of the latter. As it happens with many other recently named cone snails endemic to the Cabo Verde Archipelago, the species separation criterion was based mainly on the type locality, and on subtle conchological differences, which were never statistically tested. In this particular case, the authors claimed that the A. padarosae could be separated from A. antoniaensis based upon “different spire profile and more elongated shape” without any statistically supported morphometric analysis. We therefore propose to consider A. padarosae as a mere form of A. antoniaensis.