Vaninia, a New Deepwater Genus of Calliostomatidae (Vetigastropoda) from the Southwestern Atlantic, with Description of a New Species

Additional material of previously described species attributed to Margarites J. E. Gray, 1847 and Falsimargarita A. W. B. Powell, 1951 from Brazil was examined using detailed anatomical data and constructing a morphological phylogeny. The new analysis revealed that these taxa are more closely related to the Calliostomatidae and should be placed in the new genus Vaninia, with the type species Margarites imperialis Simone & Birman, 2006. The following new combinations and species are proposed: Vaninia dnophera (Watson, 1879) comb. nov.; Vaninia mirabilis (Simone & Birman, 2006) comb. nov.; and Vaninia vanini gen. nov. sp. nov. The placement of Vaninia gen. nov. as a calliostomatid is supported mainly by radular synapomorphies, including the presence of long, delicate, serrated rachidian teeth and an enlarged innermost pair of marginal teeth. Vaninia gen. nov. differs from other calliostomatid genera primarily by its thinner shell lacking strong color and pattern, a protoconch without a honeycomb pattern, the absence of a pseudoproboscis, no intestinal loop inside of the hemocoel, and the presence of a brood pouch in the right kidney.