Bulimulus trindadeae Ferreira & Coelho, 1971

Salvador, Rodrigo Brincalepe & Simone, Luiz Ricardo Lopes De, 2013, Taxonomic Revision Of The Fossil Pulmonate Mollusks Of Itaboraí Basin (Paleocene), Brazil, Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 53 (2), pp. 5-46 : 5-46

Bulimulus trindadeae Ferreira & Coelho, 1971

( Figs. 38-39 )

Bulimulus trindadeae Ferreira & Coelho, 1971: 470 (fig. 7); Palma & Brito, 1974: 394; Breure, 1979: 137; Simone & Mezzalira, 1994: 50 (pl. 15, fig. 424).

Itaborahia trindadeae : Bergqvist et al., 2006: 58 (fig. 69).

Holotype: MNRJ 5022 -I (examined; Figs. 38-39 ).

Paratype: MNRJ 5023 -I (4 specimens, examined) .

Type Locality: Limestones of Parque Paleontológico de São José de Itaboraí, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Park’s center coordinates: 22°50’20”S, 42°52’30”W .

Geographic and stratigraphic occurrence: Known only from the type locality: Sequence S1 ( Medeiros & Bergqvist, 1999; Bergqvist et al., 2006).

Age : Tertiary, Middle Paleocene.

Etymology: Species dedicated to Prof. Nicéa M. Trindade (Faculdade Nacional de Filosofia, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil).

Diagnosis: Shell small, conical, narrow. Spire high. Aperture elliptical, tall and narrow.

Re-Description: Shell small, conical, narrow. Spire high. Shell smooth, except for growth lines. Greatest width (supposedly) on body whorl; width ~⅓ shell length. Spire angle ~35°. Protoconch blunt, apparently smooth; transition to teleoconch unclear. Profile of whorls slightly convex. Suture well-marked, oblique (diagonal) to columellar axis; less oblique on first whorls. Aperture supposed elliptical, tall and narrow, orthocline; ~2/5 shell length.

Measures (in mm): Holotype: probably 6 whorls; H = 9.4; D = 3.3; S = 5.4. Paratype: probably 6 whorls; H = 5.6; D = 2.6.

Examined material: Types.

Discussion: The few specimens of B. trindadeae are in a bad state of preservation, including the type specimens: the apertures are broken or completely covered by sediment. It is impossible to even tell if a shell is an adult or not and, therefore, the precise number of whorls could not be counted. In the same manner, it is impossible to confirm the presence of teeth or lamellae. However, as stated below, there is a set of characters that guarantees its validity as a distinct species.

Palma & Brito (1974) say that they were able to study additional specimens of B. trindadeae , better preserved, but they did not indicate in their work in which collection the specimens are stored and did not figure the material. There is no record of this additional material at the MNRJ and DGM collections, where material from Itaboraí was commonly stored. The authors also stated that it was possible for them to analyze the shell aperture and indicate the existence of a columellar fold. This character was posteriorly used by Ribeiro (2003) and Bergqvist et al. (2006) to reallocate B. trindadeae in the genus Itaborahia . However, even if there is such a fold or lamella, not even a single other character can sustain this reallocation.

The tall and narrow shell as well as the supposed elliptical shape of the aperture of B. trindadeae is known in the genus Bulimulus , albeit rarely. However, it is also typical of other orthalicids, notably in the subfamily Odontostominae as, for example, in the genus Cyclodontina Beck, 1837 , which also occurs in Itaboraí. To have a clearer idea of B. trindadeae generic allocation, the apertural dentition, an important character for Odontostominae , should be known. Unfortunately, the available specimens do not allow going further in the classification and, therefore, the original classification is maintained here, at least until better preserved specimens are obtained.

Figures

FIGURES 32-42: 32-33. Temesa magalhaesi (DGM 4997-I) with broken aperture, showing the parietal lamella (pt). 34-35. Cecilioides sommeri (MNRJ 5016-I; holotype); shell length 2.5 mm. 36. Bulimulus fazendicus (AMNH 24243; holotype); shell length 16.5 mm. 37. B. fazendicus (AMNH 24242; paratype); shell length 16.5 mm. 38-39. Bulimulus trindadeae (MNRJ 5022-I; holotype); shell length 9.5 mm. 40-42. Cortana carvalhoi (DGM 4995-I; holotype); shell length 30.5 mm.