The protologue provides a detailed account of Latiaxis bernardi n. sp., describing a solid, medium-small, turriculate shell reaching approximately 33 mm in height and composed of 7–8 whorls, including a two-whorl protoconch that is typically eroded in available specimens. Each teleoconch whorl bears a pronounced peripheral keel that expands into large, hollow, upward-curving spines—an immediately diagnostic feature for the species. The axial sculpture consists of about ten rounded, low ribs per whorl, evenly spaced and relatively modest in relief. The spiral sculpture is composed of numerous beaded cords, finer and more densely arranged on the shoulder of each whorl. Below the main keel, spire whorls carry two strong spiral cords, while the body whorl displays around fifteen cords of varying strength; several of these support downward-curving spine-like processes that create the appearance of secondary carinae. Additional irregular spinose projections occur near the base and aperture where axial and spiral elements intersect. The aperture is ovate, with the outer lip sharply inflected and finely crenulated by the external sculpture. The siphonal canal is short, open, and gently recurved dorsally, while the posterior canal is only weakly indicated. The umbilical region is narrow and effectively closed by a scaly margin. Shell coloration ranges from yellowish to fulvous, typically deepening toward the apex. According to the original material, the species inhabits subtidal shipwreck substrates near Port-Gentil, the designated type locality, with two further specimens recorded from Cap Esterias.

This record provides an archival copy of the article: Nicolay, Kety (1984). New species of Gabon. La Conchiglia, 180–181: 16–18. The manuscript, written in Italian, presents the original protologues of three marine gastropod taxa from the coast of Gabon: Latiaxis bernardi n. sp. (Coralliophilidae; now recognised as Babelomurex bernardi), Drillia idalinae n. sp., and Drillia patriciae n. sp. (Turridae sensu lato; currently placed in Drilliidae). The publication includes detailed morphological descriptions, comparative remarks, habitat observations, and formal designation of holotypes deposited in the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris. The article represents a key contribution to the early taxonomic documentation of West African malacofauna and remains relevant for nomenclatural verification, regional faunal inventories, and the historical systematics of Coralliophilinae and Drilliidae in the eastern Atlantic. The file is archived for long-term preservation and scholarly reference within the Institute for Molluscan Systematics (IMS), Tenerife. Copyright remains with the original publisher of La Conchiglia. In accordance with Zenodo policy on third-party copyrighted material, the document is provided under Closed Access, with metadata openly available for citation and indexing.