Stosicia species - Originally labeled Isseliella hiloense (Pilsbry and Vanatta, l908)

    This is probably not Stosicia hiloensis (S. hiloense is an error in grammar dating to the original [correct] Bittium hiloense). Rather it is recognized by Sleurs and Preece (1994) from Pitcairn and redefined as "Stosicia sp." by Sleurs (1996: 154-155; fig. 8C). It had been known only from Pitcairn and Henderson (very near the former) until Emilio's discovery. Sleurs wrote "However, I did not examine a sufficiently large number of S. hiloense [sic] specimens to describe the range of variation of the latter species, which may include the specimens from Pitcairn." Stosicia species of Sleurs (1996) differs from S. hiloensis in having two (vs. three) spirals in the early teleoconch, three spirals (vs. more on later spire whorls, a more conical outline, weaker axials, and a feature I can't make out in Emilio's photos - fine secondary axial sculpture (Sleurs used an SEM to illustrate this character).

    That's not the whole story, though. Harriet Hough, a former member of the Jacksonville Shell Club and one of my tutored grunge collectors, took a sample from the beach drift in front of Charo's restaurant on Kauai, Hawaiian Is. on November 6, 1987. I sorted out a Stosicia hiloensis and three shells I labelled " Stosicia species." You guessed it: the latter are the same as Emilio's Tuamotu and Sleurs' Pitcairn shells!

    Now, like Sleurs, I don't have a large series of Stosicia from Hawaii, but I independently concluded that there were two morphs involved - and from the same station. (H. G. Lee)

Stosicia species

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