The species is known only from empty shells collected in the western Gulf of Mexico, and its continued existence as a living population is uncertain.[8] Its shell is relatively small, reaching about 30mm in length, elongated and conical in shape, and typically light cream in color with a rough, strongly sculptured surface.[6]
Conasprella sauros has been recorded from continental shelf and upper slope depths and is considered a potentially rare or missing species, highlighting the challenges of assessing biodiversity and extinction risk among poorly known marine invertebrates.[8]
Taxonomy and naming
Conasprella sauros was originally described by Emilio F. García in 2006 as Conus sauros, based on shell material collected from the western Gulf of Mexico.[6] At the time of description, the species was placed in the broadly defined genus Conus, which historically included a large and morphologically diverse assemblage of cone snails.
Subsequent taxonomic revisions of the family Conidae, incorporating morphological and molecular evidence, resulted in the subdivision of Conus into multiple genera. As part of these revisions, the species was reassigned to the genus Conasprella, where it is currently accepted as Conasprella sauros.[2][9]
The specific epithet sauros is derived from the ancient Greek noun σαῦρος, meaning “lizard” or “reptile,” and refers to the rough, strongly sculptured shell surface, which resembles the skin of some reptiles.[6]
The type locality of Conasprella sauros is the western Gulf of Mexico, approximately 43.5mi (70.0km) north–south–inshore of Port Aransas, Texas (27.3°N, 96.6°W), at a depth of about 40m (130ft).[6]
Description
General description
All known material of Conasprella sauros consists of empty shells, and no live individuals have been recorded to date.[6][8]
The shell is relatively small, reaching about 30mm in length, lightweight, and elongated with a conical shape. It consists of several distinctly shouldered whorls separated by a deep suture. The surface is strongly sculptured, giving the shell a rough texture that inspired the species name.[6]
Shell coloration is generally light cream. Some specimens show small brownish-orange dots on the raised spiral cords, particularly on the body whorl. Minor variation in sculpture strength and coloration has been observed among paratypes, but all specimens share the same overall morphology.[6]
Conasprella sauros has been collected at depths ranging from approximately 28 to 140m (92 to 459ft). It bears some similarities to Conasprella kitteredgei, but differs in shell sculpture and coloration.[6]
Shell morphology
The shell of the holotype reaches 29.5mm in length and is conically elongated, with a width-to-length ratio of approximately 0.36. The protoconch is missing. The teleoconch consists of five whorls, which are distinctly shouldered and carinated. In earlier whorls, the carina is nearly central, shifting anteriorly in later whorls. The suture is deep.[6]
Axial sculpture consists of numerous arched threads on the shoulder that fade at the carina and reappear anteriorly. On the body whorl, the axial threads are relatively wide, low, and flat, weakening as they cross the spiral cords. Spiral sculpture includes two to four strong threads posterior to the carina, producing a reticulated pattern at the shoulder, followed by a heavy, nodulose cord and one or two undulating threads anterior to the carina. The body whorl bears strong, flat, evenly spaced spiral cords, approximately as wide as the interspaces, and minutely wrinkled by axial threads.[6]
The shell color is light cream. Some paratypes exhibit brownish-orange dots on the dorsum of the spiral cords. Variation among paratypes is observed in the structure of the spiral cords and shell coloration, but all conform to the general morphology described above.[6]
No information is available on the ecology, behavior, or diet of Conasprella sauros, as all known material consists of empty shells and no live individuals have been observed.[6] The species is presumed to have inhabited benthic marine environments on the continental shelf and upper slope of the western Gulf of Mexico, consistent with the depth range at which shells have been collected.[6]
Conasprella sauros has been cited as an example of a potentially missing or undocumented marine species, reflecting broader concerns about so-called “neoextinctions” among marine invertebrates known only from historical or limited material.[8] However, the absence of confirmed live records may also reflect limited sampling rather than extinction, and the current conservation status of the species remains unresolved.
↑Bouchet, P.; Fontaine, B. (2009). List of new marine species described between 2002-2006. Census of Marine Life.
↑Filmer R.M. (2001). A Catalogue of Nomenclature and Taxonomy in the Living Conidae 1758 - 1998. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden. 388pp.
↑Rosenberg, G., F. Moretzsohn, and E. F. García. 2009. Gastropoda (Mollusca) of the Gulf of Mexico, Pp. 579–699 in Felder, D.L. and D.K. Camp (eds.), Gulf of Mexico–Origins, Waters, and Biota. Biodiversity. Texas A&M Press, College Station, Texas.
↑Puillandre N., Duda T.F., Meyer C., Olivera B.M. & Bouchet P. (2015). One, four or 100 genera? A new classification of the cone snails. Journal of Molluscan Studies. 81: 1–23.
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