Coralliophilinae (Neogastropoda: Muricidae) from the Marquesas Islands

Fourteen species of Coralliophilinae (Neogastropoda, Muricidae) have been identified in the material collected by the MUSORSTOM 9 expedition to the Marquesas Islands. This coralliophiline fauna appears severely impoverished, compared to other West Pacific areas. At least half of the species (seven) are members of the shallow water fauna, an unusual pattern for the prevalently deep water coralliophilines, which may indicate an increase with depth of the effects of marginality on benthic faunas. One new species Coralliophila nukuhiva n. sp. is here described.