A new sinistral turriform gastropod (Conoidea: Mangeliidae) from Taiwan

The examination of six specimens of a most peculiar sinistral turrid species from Taiwan housed at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle Paris (MNHN) led us to the recognition of a new species. These specimens resemble members of the Oenopotinae Bogdanov, 1987 recently placed in the Mangeliidae P. Fischer, 1883 (Bouchet et al., 2011; Puillandre et al., 2011). The distinct anal sinus and protoconch sculpture suggests it belongs to the genus Curtitoma Bartsch, 1941. Unfortunately, no living specimen of the present species is available for anatomical, molecular, and radular examination. Asami (1993) estimated that 99% of living Gastropod species are dextral. Most sinistral species are land and freshwater pulmonates. The discovery of this sinistral species is of particular interest as it is the first sinistral species reported in the family Mangeliidae.