Tiny and Beautiful: A Summary of the Genus Pygmaeconus Puillandre & Tenorio, 2017, with the Description of a New Microspecies from the Southeastern Philippines (Gastropoda: Conoidea)
A review of valid species within genus Pygmaeconus Puillandre & Tenorio, 2017, is presented. Combined analysis of molecular [partial mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) gene sequences of several individuals, and a nearly-complete mitogenome for one individual] and morphological (shell and radular tooth) characters revealed that tiny cone snails collected with algae and shell grit by scuba at 12 m depth in the southeastern Philippines correspond to a new species, introduced here under the name Pygmaeconus atomus sp. nov. It attains a maximum adult size of < 5 mm, being arguably the smallest recorded member of the cone-snail fauna worldwide.
Authors
- Rafael Zardoya (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6212-9502)
- M. Jimenez-Tenorio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4088-4958)
- Samuel Abalde (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7790-0603)
- Gisela P. Concepción (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2216-5637)
- F. Lorenz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6910-214X)
Institutions
- Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung e.V. (DE)
- Swedish Museum of Natural History (SE)
- Universidad de Cádiz (ES)
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (ES)
- University of the Philippines Diliman (PH)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Malacologia
- Published
- 2025-03-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.4002/040.067.0105
- Primary Topic
- Mollusks and Parasites Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00