Stromboidea

• Strombidae
  • Harpago
    • Harpago rugosus (Sowerby II, 1842)

Original Description of Pteroceras rugosum by Sowerby II, 1842, p. 42:

• "T. crassa, sub-ovali, spiraliter striatâ, costis quatuor nodulosis cincta, digitis crassis, arcuatis, terminalibus, recurvis, una inter sinum anticum et canalem; apertura; lata, valide excavata, intus uniplicata, sulcis nigris striata, labio interno sulcis nigris striato."

Locus typicus: "South Seas"

Pteroceras rugosum Sowerby, 1842, pl. 11, fig. 9, 10

• Comment Abbott, 1961, p. 172: "Sowerby illustrated both arthritica Röding (his fig. 10) and the male form of chiragra (his fig.9)."

Comment Sowerby II, 1842, p. 42:

• "After careful examination, we have arrived at the conclusion that this shell, although generally regarded as a mere variety of Pt. Chiragra, is perfectly distinct. The principal difference consists in the comparative smoothness and flatness of the inner lip and the strong downward curve of the posterior canal, which reaches the angle of the body whorl in Pt. Chiragra. Pt. rugosum is thick, sub-oval, spirally striated, with four tuberculated ribs on the body whorl, below the angle. The digitations are thick and curved, the posterior terminal one, although somewhat recurved is not bent downwards over the spire, as in Pt. Chiragra. The aperture is wide, and very deep, with the interior strongly plicated, and transversely sulcated with black interstices; the inner lip is sulcated in the same manner. The general colour of the shell is light brown mottled with darker touches and blackish stripes on the terminations of the digitations. The aperture is more or less strongly tinctured with rose colour; the black striped grooves covering a larger portion of the interior in one variety than in the other."

History and Synonymy

Harpago rugosus (Sowerby², 1842:42, pl. 11, fig. 9) (Pteroceras rugosum )

• Syn.: Harpago rugosa [auct., incorrect gender ending]

1851

Description of Pterocera rugosa by Reeve, 1851, p. 189:

• "Pterocera rugosa. Pter. ovato-oblonga, spira acuminata, anfractibus undique subtiliter striatis, superne concavis, deinde angulatis, ad angulum obsolete nodatis, anfractu ultimo costis nodatis cingulato, nodis peramplis, hexadactylo, dactylis longiusculis, cuvatis, late expansis, columella undique fortiter rugosa, aperturae fauce subtiliter corrugata; albida, rufescente-fusco maculata, columella et aperturae fauce intense purpureis, rugis albis."
• "The wrinkled Pterocera. Shell ovately oblong, spire acuminated, whorls finely striated throughout, concave round the upper part, then angled, obsoletely noduled at the angle, last whorl encircled with noduled ribs, nodules very large, six-clawed, claws rather long, curved, broadly expanded, columella strongly wrinkled throughout, interior of the aperture tinely wrinkled; whitish, spotted with reddish-brown, columella and interior of the aperture very dark purple, with the wrinkles white."
• "Habitat: Society Islands"; Coll. Cumming.
• Comment Reeve, 1851, p. 189: "Constantly distinguished from P. chiragra, with which it has been confounded, by its deep purple and white wrinkled columella."

Pterocera rugosa in Reeve, 1851, Pterocera, pl. 4, fig. 6

• "Image courtesy Biodiversity Heritage Library. http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org"

Reports

Doug Thorn about Harpago rugosus from Queensland State, north east Australia:

• "Harpago rugosus comes from the outer coral sea, from outside Swain Reefs, Diamond Islet, Lihou Reefs, Marion Reefs through to New Caledonia. There are no H. chiragra in those localities to my knowledge. H. chiragra comes from inside the Swain Reefs to the Australian coast, no H. rugosus here at all. To my knowledge H. rugosus and H. chiragra are not found together. H. rugosus seems to appear in the same localities as Euprotomus vomer."
• "There are no differences in size or colour between male and female Harpago rugosus, not from where I found them."

Comment Guy-Gerard Dupré about Harpago rugosa from New Caledonia:

• "Harpago rugosus is found in Chépénéhé Bay, Lifou Island, Loyalty Islands Province, New Caledonia, Melanesia. There also occur large specimens (195 mm), with a pale red aperture. This might be female shells of H. rugosus."

Harpago rugosus (Sowerby II, 1842); Chépénéhé Bay, Lifou Island, Loyalty Islands Province, New Caledonia, Melanesia; Coll. Guy-Gerard Dupré

• l: male(?), l:145 mm
• r: female(?), r:195 mm

Harpago rugosus (Sowerby II, 1842); Chépénéhé Bay, Lifou Island, Loyalty Islands Province, New Caledonia, Melanesia; Coll. Guy-Gerard Dupré

• l :male(?), l:145 mm
• r: female(?), r:195 mm

Harpago rugosus (Sowerby II, 1842); Chépénéhé Bay, Lifou Island, Loyalty Islands Province, New Caledonia, Melanesia; Coll. Guy-Gerard Dupré

• l: male(?), l:145 mm
• r: female(?), r:195 mm

Specimens from private collections

Harpago rugosus (Sowerby II, 1842); Mururoa, Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia, South Pacific Ocean; 179 mm; Coll. Virgilio Liverani

Harpago rugosus (Sowerby II, 1842); North Province, New Caledonia, Melanesia; t:148 mm, b:149 mm; Coll. Paul Kanner

Harpago rugosa (Sowerby II, 1842); Belep Islands, North Province, New Caledonia, Melanesia; dived at night, alive on grass coral, 15-25 m depth, Coll. Henk Dekker

Harpago rugosus (Sowerby II, 1842); New Caledonia, Melanesia; 178 mm; Coll. Virgilio Liverani

Harpago rugosa (Sowerby II, 1842); east Diamond Islets, Coral Sea Islands, Queensland State, north east Australia, South Pacific; Coll. Ulrich Wieneke

Harpago rugosus (Sowerby II, 1842); Coral Sea, Australia, South Pacific; Coll. Henk Dekker

Harpago rugosus (Sowerby II, 1842); off Cairns, Queensland State, north east Australia, Coral Sea, South Pacific; reef at low tide; 151 mm; Coll. Aart Dekkers no. STR1564

Harpago rugosus (Sowerby II, 1842); Diamond Islets, Coral Sea Islands, Queensland State, north east Australia, South Pacific; Coll. Aart Dekkers

• t: 152 mm, no. STR1565
• b: 156 mm; no. STR1566

Harpago rugosa (Sowerby II, 1842); Coll. Guido Poppe

• l, m: French Polynesia, Tuamotu Archipelago, Faaite Atoll; 145,3 mm; 11/1988; Ex-coll. Philippe Martin no. 240383
• r: Olango Island, Cebu Province, Central Visayas Region, Philippines; 12 m; 149,2 mm; 2003; no. 124943
  • Comment Wieneke: Out off more than 100 specimens of "Harpago rugosa", that were pictured by Poppe, the right specimen is the only one of Harpago rugosa sensu Sowerby, the rest is Harpago chiragra (or Lambis (Harpago) chiragra form rugosa or male L. chiragra sensu Abbott, 1961)

Living Specimens

Harpago rugosus (Sowerby II, 1842); New Caledonia, Melanesia; from 12 m; in Aquarium; Photo Franck Leterrier

Localities

• New Caledonia, Belep Islands, dived at night, alive on grass coral, 15-25 m depth, Coll. Henk Dekker
• Henderson Island, Pitcairn Islands, Rehder, 1983

The "Association Francaise de Conchyliologie" reports Harpago rugosus from

• Lagon de Tautira, Tahiti (Link, visited 3.2.2013)
• Atoll de Faaite, Tuamotu (Link, visited 3.2.2013)
• Bellona Island, Solomon Islands (Link, visited 3.2.2013)

Distribution map of Harpago rugosus

References

• Abbott, 1961
• Harald A. Rehder, 1983. A revised list of the marine mollusks of Henderson Island; in F.R. Fosberg, M.-H. Sachet & D.R. Stoddart, 1983. Henderson Island (Southeastern Polynesia): Summary of current Knowledge. Atoll Research Bulletin, No. 272, p. 1-47, pl. 1-12. Fulltext