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Stosicia species - Originally labeled Isseliella hiloense (Pilsbry and Vanatta, l908) |
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This is probably not Stosicia hiloensis (S. hiloense
is an error in grammar dating to the original [correct] Bittium
hiloense). Rather it is recognized by Sleurs and Preece (1994)
from Pitcairn and redefined as "Stosicia sp." by Sleurs
(1996: 154-155; fig. 8C). It had been known only from Pitcairn and
Henderson (very near the former) until Emilio's discovery. Sleurs
wrote "However, I did not examine a sufficiently large number of
S. hiloense [sic] specimens to describe the range of variation
of the latter species, which may include the specimens from
Pitcairn." Stosicia species of
Sleurs (1996) differs from S. hiloensis in having two (vs.
three) spirals in the early teleoconch, three spirals (vs. more on
later spire whorls, a more conical outline, weaker axials, and a
feature I can't make out in Emilio's photos - fine secondary axial
sculpture (Sleurs used an SEM to illustrate this character).
That's not the whole story, though. Harriet
Hough, a former member of the Jacksonville Shell Club and one of my
tutored grunge collectors, took a sample from the beach drift in
front of Charo's restaurant on Kauai, Hawaiian Is. on November 6,
1987. I sorted out a Stosicia hiloensis and three shells I
labelled " Stosicia species." You guessed it: the latter are
the same as Emilio's Tuamotu and Sleurs' Pitcairn shells! |
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