Fusus caparti Adam & Knudsen, 1955: Bull. Inst. royal Sciences nat. Belgique, 31(61): 12-16, pl. II, figs. 8-9 (fig. 10 = F. rutilus).

Type material

Holotype (182 mm) in Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, Brussel/Belgium (KBIN).

Type locality

Gabon, off Mayumba.

Range

Gabon - Congo - North Angola (up to south of Luanda).

Size

55-182 mm, but usually not more than 100-120 mm.

Discussion

The large and "untypical" holotype of F. caparti somewhat resembles F. meyeri at first sight due to its outstanding size, but the paratypes are clearly recognizable. F. caparti differs from F. meyeri by the much smaller shell, less numerous and somewhat shorter and broader whorls, a less pointed spire, less deeply incised suture on the upper whorls; by the axial ribs always reaching from suture to suture on all whorls (except the body whorl), the more numerous axial ribs per whorl with somewhat smaller interspaces between them; by the low, flat, regularly alternating strong and fine spiral cords and the less deeply impressed interspaces between them; by the somewhat rounder and less elongated aperture, and by the fine but strongly denticulated outer lip and by the red-brown tinged edge of the outer lip. The major and most important differences, however, are in protoconch and radula morphology. The protoconch of F. caparti is clearly larger in diameter, has more whorls and less numerous but much stronger axial riblets on the final part.

F. caparti can be easily separated from F. rutilus by the lower number of whorls, by the usually shorter shell length and smaller spire angle, the differences in protoconch sculpture, and by the completely different colouration.