Ringicula

Ringicula spec 5

(Figures 35–36)

Material. Anda6 (1) RGM 961.825, AndaDeVos (5) RGM 961.826, AndaClif3 (4) RGM 961.827, Roxas (1) RGM 961.828.

Characterization. Shell rather small; H 2.87 mm, W 1.96 mm; protoconch simple, 1.1 whorl, DP 0.23 mm; nucleus small, DN 0.10 mm; teleoconch smooth except for about 5 spiral grooves near base; outer lip thickened, crenulated with distinct rows of nodules; parietal callus with downward pointing ridge and lamella extending into aperture; columella with two folds of equal strength or with the lower fold stronger than the upper fold.

Remarks. The material of this species is lacking; there is one entire “subadult” shell (RGM 961.755, figure 35) and the rest of the “adult” material, consisting of three shells, is fragmented. This makes it difficult to assess whether all this material should be treated as one species or not, because there is variation in the strength of the columellar folds and of the crenulations on the outer lip. Specimen RGM 961.851, the least fragmented of the “adult” material, see figure 36, also appears to be more globular than the other material, but this specimen has its spire broken off and it has a repaired fracture in the body whorl, which probably causes this deviation. All material is similar in its sculpture of spiral grooves near the base, so all in all, it seems best to treat it as one species.