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Zoila kostini leemanica - New Species !!! , Mont 2025
Size
65.3 mm
Locality
Leeman, WA
Note
This crabbed specimen was ROV collected on September 1st, 2024 from a sponge garden in 195 metres of water west of Leeman. It is a mature shell with tan dorsal spotting, orange lateral spots and golden siphon trim. Over the past ten years I have had a desire to collect friendii on the continental shelf west of Geraldton to study the inter-grade between aurata and kostini. Until February 2023 we had only found one live specimen in 200 metres of water west of the Abrolhos Islands. The reason for the difficulty in doing this has been exceptionally strong currents in the area and our inability to find sponge beds which are the species food source. In February 2023 we had some success finding a number of specimens west southwest of Dongara and to the southwest of Geraldton. The shells we found were different to both kostini and aurata. They were consistently larger than southern kostini, more colorful with coarse spotting not unlike aurata, and less rounded mostly with a china white base. They are quite vercoi like. Perhaps 70% kostini and 30% aurata is an apt description. A crabbed shell with only nacre etch showing the typical characteristics of the newly described leemanica.