Vermiliopsis glandigera /pygidialis- complex

(Fig. 31 A–C)

Vermiliopsis glandigera Gravier, 1906 a: 112 –113 [Red Sea; description].

Vermiliopsis glandigera.— Gravier 1906 b pl. 8 figs 290–291 [same]; 1908: 121–124, figs 476–481 [same]; Pillai 2009: 103 – 108, figs 5 A–E, 6 A–L, 7 A–N [Western Australia; description].

? Vermiliopsis glandigera. — Monro 1939: 150 –151 [Tasmania; description].

Vermiliopsis pygidialis. — Dew 1958: 54 –57 [Aquarium at Taronga Zoo, Sydney, NSW, Australia]; Kupriyanova et al. 2006: 423, table 1, figs 4–7 [Qld, Australia; DNA].

Vermiliopsis infundibulum (not Philippi, 1844).— Straughan 1967 a: 233 –234; 1967 b: 35 [Qld, Australia]; 1967 c: 222 [NT, Australia]; Knox & Cameron 1971: 40 [Vic, Australia; name].

Vermiliopsis infundibulum / glandigera. —ten Hove 1975: 55 –59 [discussion of the complex]; Imajima 1976 b: 139 –141, fig. 11 a–o [description; Tanega-shima, Japan]; Fiege & Sun 1999: 133, fig. 21 A–E [Hainan Island, China].

? Vermiliopsis cylindrica Pillai, 2009: 100 –103, figs 3 A–N, 4 A–E [Western Australia; description].

Material examined. AM W. 198921, stn. 77 LIZ C 15-21 - 2, lagoon drop-off between Bird Islet and South Island, 14 ° 42 'S, 145 ° 28 'E, coll. P. Hutchings & P. Weate, Oct 1978, det. H. ten Hove; AM W. 28300 (4), Turtle Beach, 14 ° 40 'S, 145 ° 27 'E, underside of dead & living corals, fairly cryptic, coll. H. ten Hove, 22 Jun 1983; AM W. 28310, Mermaid Cove, 14 ° 40 'S, 145 ° 28 'E, underside of boulders in surf, subtidal and low intertidal, coll. H. ten Hove, 20 Jun 1983; AM W. 28332, Mermaid Cove, 14 ° 40 'S, 145 ° 28 'E, from crevices in dead coral, 20 Jun 1983, coll. H. ten Hove; AM W. 28333 (several), outer reef off Lizard Island, 14 ° 40 'S, 145 ° 28 'E, coll. H. ten Hove & P. Hutchings, 10 Mar 1986; AM W. 28420, between First Beach and Osprey Island, 14 ° 40 '09"S, 145 ° 26 ' 36 "E, dead corals and rubble in sand, 4 m, coll. H. ten Hove, 17 Jun 1983; AM W. 28425 (several), between Lizard Head and Coconut Beach, 14 ° 40 'S, 145 ° 28 'E, undersides of boulders on rock, little sand, low tide, coll. H. ten Hove, 23 Jun 1983; AM W. 28428 (2), stn. 21, south of South Island, 14 ° 40 'S, 145 ° 28 'E, coll. H. ten Hove, 6 Mar 1986; AM W. 28444, stn. 19, Turtle Beach, 14 ° 40 'S, 145 ° 27 'E, intertidal, boulders in sand, coll. H. ten Hove, 5 Mar 1986; AM W. 38608 (few), North Point, 14 ° 40 'S, 145 ° 28 'E, coll. P. Hutchings, 9 Mar 1986, det. H. ten Hove; AM W. 42055, stn.G 241, off Osprey Island, coll. G. Rouse & E. Kupriyanova, 31 Oct 2005; AM W 42064 (3), stn.G 248, Patch Reef, coll. G. Rouse & E. Kupriyanova, 4 Nov 2005; AM W. 42069 (3), stn.G 229, near Bird Islet, 7–8 m, coll. G. Rouse & E.

Kupriyanova, 24 Oct 2005; AM W. 43965, MI QLD 2337; AM W. 44046, MI QLD 2336 (2); AM W. 43966, MI QLD 2336; AM W. 44047, MI QLD 2337; AM W. 44235, MI QLD 2370 (2); AM W. 43971, MI QLD 2356 (4); AM W. 44225, MI QLD 2359; AM W. 44533, MI QLD 2375 (6); AM W. 44535, MI QLD 2381 (2); AM W. 44543, MI QLD 2390 (3); AM W. 45054, MI QLD 2406 (21); AM W. 45057, MI QLD 2406 (2); AM W. 45066, MI QLD 2413 (2); AM W. 45067, MI QLD 2413 (20); AM W. 45072, MI QLD 2417 (3); AM W. 45088, MI QLD 2424; AM W. 45091, MI QLD 2435 (4); AM W. 45116, MI QLD 2446 (4); AM W. 45421, MI QLD 2447; AM W. 47302, Snake Pit, Deep Reef slope, 14 ° 40 ' 12 "S, 145 ° 34 '06"E, coral rubble, 30 m, coll. J. Caley & S. Smith, 24 Feb 2009; AM W. 47307, front of Deep Reef, 14 ° 30 '06"S, 145 ° 30 ' 30 "E, coral rubble, 30 m, coll. J. Caley & K. Mills, 21 Feb 2009; AM W. 47308, same; AM W. 47310, Day Reef, 14 ° 28 ' 30 "S, 145 ° 32 ' 12 "E, coral rubble, 30 m, coll. S. Smith, 22 Feb 2009; AM W. 47312, same, 10 m, coll. M. Blazewicz-Paskowycz, 13 Feb 2009; AM W. 47316, North Direction Island, Deep Reef slope, 14 ° 44 ' 36 "S, 145 ° 30 ' 54 "E, coral rubble, 2 m, coll. C. Watson; AM W. 47342, Hicks Reef Outer Barrier, Fore Reef, 14 ° 28 ' 48 "S, 145 ° 29 ' 12 "E, coral rubble, 2–18 m, coll. C. Watson & K. Mills, 14 Feb 2009; AM W. 47350, inter-reef sand, 14 ° 23 ' 24 "S, 145 ° 16 ' 24 "E, artificial substrate, 10 m, coll. M. Timmers, 9 Feb 2009; AM W. 47355, inter-reef sand, 14 ° 23 ' 24 "S, 145 ° 16 ' 24 "E, artificial substrate, 10 m, coll. M. Timmers, 10 Feb 2009; AM W. 47359, southwest of Palfrey Island, lagoon, 14 ° 41 ' 36 "S, 145 ° 26 ' 30 "E, coral rubble, 4 m, coll. M. Ekins, 13 Apr 2008; AM W. 47587 (2), stn.G 246, off Granite Bluff, 17 m, coll. G. Rouse & E. Kupriyanova, 3 Nov 2005; AM W. 47456 (16), stn.G 241, off Osprey Island, coll. G. Rouse & E. Kupriyanova, 31 Oct 2005; AM W. 47573, stn.G 242, east lagoon near Bird Islet, 14 °0'S, 145 °0'E, coll. G. Rouse & E. Kupriyanova, 1 Nov 2005; MAGNT W025497, North Head Reef, Fore Reef, 14 ° 38 ' 42 "S, 145 ° 27 ' 12 "E, coral rubble, 12 m, coll. C. Glasby, 14 Apr 2008; SAM E 3590, stn.G 240, intertidal rubble zone, Osprey Island, coll. G. Rouse & E. Kupriyanova, 31 Oct 2005; ZMA V.Pol. 4941 (2), Turtle Beach, steeply sloping reef above sand bottom, 6–8 m, from dead & living corals, coll. H. ten Hove, 18 Jun 1983; ZMA V.Pol. 4942 (14), Granite Head, 14 ° 39 'S, 145 ° 27 'E, underside of boulders on rock, little sand, subtidally, coll. H. ten Hove, 18 Jun 1983; ZMA V.Pol. 4949 (many), between Research Point and Freshwater Beach, in lagoon, subtidally, dead coral cobbles on sand, ca. 1 m, coll. H. ten Hove, 16 Jun 1983; ZMA V.Pol. 4951 (35), stn. 18, lagoon near east entrance, sheltered side of reef, near sandy bottom, 2–20 m, coll. H. ten Hove, 3 Mar 1986; ZMA V.Pol. 4953 (8), stn. 21, south of South Island, 14 ° 42 'S, 145 ° 28 'E, sloping silty reef, little coral cover, 18–20 m, coll. H. ten Hove & P. Hutchings, 6 Mar 1986.

Diagnosis. Operculum a soft basal ampulla and a distal brown chitinous cap, which may be elongated and divided into up to 7 layers by partitions. Cap conical or flat, then often with simple terminal spinelet. Peduncle cylindrical or slightly compressed and wrinkled (see, however, remarks). Tube semicircular to trapezoidal in crosssection, rugose, generally with 4 (3–7) longitudinal keels and some peristomes.

Remarks. In addition to the generic remarks, above, we want to draw the attention to the following observations. Some of Dew’s specimens (1958: 54–57) from the aquarium at Taronga Zoo were restudied by one of us (HtH, 1975) and were exceptional in the presence of a kind of pseudoperculum. This character only has been reported for the Mediterranean/Atlantic taxon Vermiliopsis striaticeps (Grube, 1862), see ten Hove & Kupriyanova (2009: 14). Since this character hardly ever has been mentioned in the literature, its value should be checked in a very necessary revision of the genus. The same applies to the absence/presence of “wings” on the opercular peduncle, clearly present in the syntypes of Vermiliopsis glandigera Gravier, 1906 a, though not mentioned in the original description (see ten Hove & Kupriyanova 2009: 22). Molecular genetic studies are needed to resolve the complex.

Reproduction. Specimen from SAM E 3590 was found brooding lecithotrophic larvae in the tube.

Distribution. Unknown, likely Indo-Pacific.