Pupa niecaensis (Barnard, 1963)

(Fig. 16A)

Solidula niecaensis Barnard, 1963: 317. Type locality: off Nieca River, East London, South Africa, 78 m depth.

Type material. Holotype, dry shell, 9.5 mm long (SAM A6553).

External morphology. Live animal unknown. Shell solid, narrow, elongate, widest at 1/3 from anterior end, with convex to parallel sides, rounded to elongate anterior end (Fig. 16A). Body whorl large, about 3/4 of total length. Spire conical, with 4 whorls. Suture slightly channeled. Aperture elongate, wider anteriorly, narrowing gradually towards posterior end, ending at 1/3 of the posterior end of first whorl. Columellar margin thickened, oblique, with large, channeled anterior fold starting at anterior end of aperture; minute, simple posterior fold located at aperture mid-length, separated from anterior fold by gap. Protoconch unknown. Sculpture composed of numerous, large punctuated spiral grooves. Punctuations conspicuous, irregular, oval, situated next to each other, often fused together, within each groove. Grooves separated by gaps almost as wide as grooves. Shell color uniformly white with some areas covered with brown periostracum.

Geographic range. Possibly endemic to South Africa (Barnard, 1963; present paper).

Remarks. Barnard (1963) introduced the name Solidula niecaensis Barnard, 1963 based on a single live specimen collected near East London, South Africa. The shell color was described as white with a brown periostracum, and the columella as having a double fold. No illustrations were provided. Barnard (1963) commented that S. niecaensis is similar to Pseudoactaeon albus [= Rictaxis albus (G. B. Sowerby III, 1874)] but the “shell has a much longer spire relatively to the aperture, and the columella is that of a Solidula.” The examination of a photograph of the holotype (SAM A6553; Fig. 16A) suggests it could be a distinct species of Pupa endemic to South Africa as it does not resemble any of the species here examined, but this needs to be confirmed with molecular and anatomical data.