Lautoconus

Harzhauser, Mathias & Landau, Bernard, 2016, A revision of the Neogene Conidae and Conorbidae (Gastropoda) of the Paratethys Sea, Zootaxa 4210 (1), pp. 1-178 : 97

Lautoconus nov. sp. [ex. gr. bitorosus Fontannes, 1880 ]

Figs 17 G, 22A1–A3

Monteiroconus mercati ( Brocchi, 1814) .— Kovács & Vicián 2013 (partim): 78, figs 87–88 [non Monteiroconus mercati ( Brocchi, 1814) ].

Illustrated material. Figs 22A 1 –A3, 17G: Letkés (Hungary): SL: 55.3 mm, MD: 31.9 mm, private collection Anton Breitenberger (Bad Vöslau, Austria).

Description. Medium-sized shells of subcylindrical outline. Spire very low; suture impressed. Early spire whorls smooth, weakly convex; last whorl smooth with faint central concavity. Subsutural flexure shallow, moderately curved, moderately asymmetrical. Distinctly angulated shoulder, position of maximum diameter somewhat below shoulder. Last whorl slightly ventricose, subcylindrical; weakly constricted at base. Surface smooth except for prominent spiral cords on base. Siphonal fasciole weakly swollen, twisted, separated from short inner lip by slight notch. Siphonal canal short, broad, slightly recurved. Aperture moderately narrow, widening anteriorly.

Shell measurements and ratios. SL: 55.3 mm, MD: 31.9 mm, spire angle: 130°, last whorl angle: 37°, LW: 1.73, RD: 0.65, PMD: 81, RSH: 0.11.

Discussion. Only a single specimen is available to us. However, a second specimen from the same locality, stored in the Hungarian Natural History Museum ( HNHM 2013.213 ), was illustrated by Kovács & Vicián (2013). Both specimens are identical in outline and therefore, it is unlikely that they represent aberrant specimens. This species is reminiscent of Lautoconus bitorosus miovoeslauensis (Sacco, 1893) but differs in its subcylindrical outline, the smooth spire and the pronounced shoulder. Moreover, both species seem also to be ecologically separated. Lautoconus b. miovoeslauensis is found in offshore clays whereas the occurrence at Letkés indicates shallow marine environments with corals. Despite the numerous “varieties” described by Sacco (1893a, b), we are not aware of any comparably cylindrical morphotype. Nevertheless, we refrain from formally introducing a new species name without having seen more material.

Paleoenvironment. The locality Letkés comprises a mixed assemblage of partly reworked taxa ( Kovács & Vicián 2013); the frequent occurrence of corals suggests a shallow marine depositional environment.

Distribution in Paratethys. Badenian (middle Miocene): Pannonian Basin: Letkés ( Hungary).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Map of central and south – eastern Europe showing the geographic position of selected localities with rich Conidae diversities (modified from Kováč et al. 2007). 1: Korytnica (Poland), 2: Podhorce, Zukowce, Biłka, Tarnopol (Ukraine), 3: Grund, Guntersdorf, Immendorf (Austria), 4: Steinebrunn (Austria), Mikulov (Czech Republic), 5: Gainfarn, Enzesfeld, Baden, Bad Vöslau, Baden-Sooß (Austria), 6: Ritzing (Austria), 7: Weitendorf, Pöls (Austria), 8: Letkés, Szob (Hungary), 9: Borsodbóta (Hungary), 10: Várpalota (Hungary), 11: Hidas (Hungary), 12: Coşteiu de Sus, Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania).

FIGURE 22 A 1 – A 3. Lautoconus nov. sp. [ex. gr. bitorosus Fontannes, 1880], Letkés (Hungary), private collection Anton Breitenberger (Bad Vöslau, Austria).