A new species of Atrimitra Dall, 1918 (Gastropoda: Mitridae) from seamounts of the recently created Nazca-Desventuradas Marine Park, Chile

Javier Sellanes; Richard A Salisbury; Jan M Tapia; Cynthia M Asorey

doi:10.7717/peerj.8279

A new species of Atrimitra Dall, 1918 (Gastropoda: Mitridae) from seamounts of the recently created Nazca-Desventuradas Marine Park, Chile

PeerJ. 2019 Dec 20:7:e8279. doi: 10.7717/peerj.8279. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Javier Sellanes^{1

2

3}, Richard A Salisbury⁴, Jan M Tapia⁵, Cynthia M Asorey^{3

6}

Affiliations

¹ Departamento de Biología Marina, Facultad de Ciencias del Mar., Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile.
² Millennium Nucleus for Ecology and Sustainable Management of Oceanic Islands (ESMOI), Departamento de Biología Marina, Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile.
³ Sala de Colecciones Biológicas, Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile.
⁴ Orma J. Smith Museum of Natural History, The College of Idaho, Caldwell, ID, USA.
⁵ Programa de Magister en Ciencas del Mar., Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile.
⁶ Centro de Estudios Avanzados en Zonas Aridas (CEAZA), Coquimbo, Chile.

Abstract

We describe Atrimitra isolata sp. n. (Gastropoda: Mitridae), collected on the summit of seamounts (~200 m water depth) in the vicinity of Desventuradas Islands, Chile insular territory. Additionally, we provide some insight into the habitat of this new species based on underwater imagery taken with a remotely operated vehicle. A. isolata sp. n. is characterized by its small size (up to 26 mm), elongate-ovate shape, solid shell and smooth appearance. It has a base brown color, with some specimens being tan or yellow. It is morphologically related to counterparts from shallow depths on the west coast of North, Central and South America (i.e., Atrimitra idae, Atrimitra orientalis and Atrimitra semigranosa), but has no affinities with species of the family reported from around Easter Island, on the far western side of the Salas y Gómez ridge (e.g., Strigatella flavocingulata, Imbricariopsis punctata and Neocancilla takiisaoi), or with other Indo-Pacific species. The present contribution adds to the knowledge of the poorly studied fauna of the seamounts in the southern portion of the Nazca ridge and easternmost section of the Sala y Gómez ridge, an area characterized by the high degree of endemism of its benthic fauna, and now protected within the large and newly created Nazca-Desventuradas Marine Park.

Keywords: Atrimitra; Chile; Desventuradas Islands; Mitridae; Mollusca; Nazca ridge; New species; Salas y Gómez ridge; Seamounts; Southeastern Pacific Ocean.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by grants (CONA C22 16-09, FONDECYT 1181153, FONDEQUIP EQM 150109) and the Chilean Millennium Initiative, ESMOI. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.