A NEW SPECIES OF MONOPLACOPHORA, REDESCRIPTION OF THE GENERA VELEROPILINA AND ROKOPELLA, AND NEW INFORMATION ON 3 SPECIES OF THE CLASS

Vema levinae Waren, sp. n. is described from a submarine volcano off w estern Mexico. The type species of Rokopella and Veleropilina are rede scribed, the usage of the names is discussed and Rokopella and Velerop ilina are recognized as valid genera in Neopilinidae. Rokopella euglyp ta (Dautzenberg & Fischer, 1897) is redescribed from shells and a sing le live specimen taken from seamounts south of the Azores, from a dept h of 1200-1600 m. Tectura reticulata Seguenza, 1876 (Gastropoda, 'Acma eidae', southern Italy, Upper Pliocene/Lower Pleistocene) is considere d to have been based on the monoplacophoran species previously known a s Neopilina zografi from the Mediterranean, and is classified in the g enus Veleropilina. Veleropilina zografi (Dautzenberg & Fischer, 1896) is redescribed based on shells from several seamounts south of the Azo res. It is considered distinct from Rokopella euglypta and classified in the genus Veleropilina. An undescribed species of Veleropilina from a seamount off southern Baja California is reported, figured and disc ussed but not formally described. (C) 1997 The Norwegian Academy of Sc ience and Letters.