Hortia Lozouet, 1999

Kantor, Yuri, Lozouet, Pierre, Puillandre, Nicolas & Bouchet, Philippe, 2014, Lost and found: The Eocene family Pyramimitridae (Neogastropoda) discovered in the Recent fauna of the Indo-Pacific, Zootaxa 3754 (3), pp. 239-276 : 249-250

Genus Hortia Lozouet, 1999

Lozouet 1999: 38.

Type species. Hortia arriuensis Lozouet, 1999 (OD).

Locality/Age. France: Landes, St-Etienne-d’Orthe (Aquitanian Basin); Upper Oligocene.

Distribution. Upper Eocene to Upper Oligocene—France; Recent—New Zealand, New Caledonia, Madagascar.

Diagnosis. Shell small, slightly exceeding 10 mm in length, narrowly fusiform, with high spire and long, narrow, slightly abaxially recurved siphonal canal. Protoconch multispiral (fossil species) or paucispiral, bulbous (Recent species). Multispiral protoconchs with more than 4 whorls, last whorls with sharp, opisthocyrt, axial ribs. Spiral sculpture of strong, broadly spaced, narrow spiral cords, intersected by prominent axial ribs, often forming beads on intersections. Cords more closely spaced on canal. Aperture narrow, columella smooth. Outer lip with shallow sinus above periphery in profile.

Operculum absent. Rachidian teeth of the radula with broad, deeply notched, anterior base and large cusp emanating from posterior margin, sometimes with additional lateral serration; lateral teeth high but narrow, pointed, triangular, and scoop-shaped, with small denticles on inner side.

Remarks. Hortia was originally described in the family Turridae . It is most similar to Vaughanites , differing by a generally shorter, abaxially recurved canal, and by the absence of columellar plaits. It also differs from Pyramimitra in having narrower axial ribs (rather than varices) and a longer siphonal canal, and the absence of columellar plaits.

Shells of Recent species of Hortia are similar to fossil ones, but attain a larger adult size. All Recent species known so far have a non-planktotrophic, bulbous, smooth protoconch rather than the multispiral protoconch of the fossils.