Calyptraea chinensis s.l. (Linnaeus, 1758)

(Fig. 10A)

Patella chinensis Linnaeus, 1758: 1257 .

Calyptraea chinensis – Landau et al. 2013: 95, pl. 9, fig. 7, pl. 61, fig. 6. — Chirli & Forli 2017: 52, fig. 15a. — Landau et al. 2018: 316, pl. 147, fig. 1. — Sacchetti et al. 2023: 51, pl. 3, fig. F.

Calyptraea cf. chinensis – Símonarson & Eiríksson in Eiríksson & Símonarson 2021: 267, pl. 7.4, fig. 1.

For more, see synonymy list in Landau et al. (2013, 2018).

MATERIAL AND DIMENSIONS. — Maximum height 4.8 mm, diameter 11.4 mm. — RGM.1364916 (2), leg. WG; RGM.1364995 (127), leg. ACJ; RGM.1365194 (1), leg. ACJ; RGM.1365100 (2), leg. AWJ; RGM.1405530 (18), leg. WG .

SPECIES CHARACTERISATION. — Relatively large, smooth, strongly depressed conical shell. Apex subcentral, consisting of only protoconch whorl. Aperture entire venter, septum with sinuous border extending from mid-shell to outer edge.

DISTRIBUTION. — Lower Miocene: Paratethys, Austria (Schaffer 1912); Proto-Mediterranean: Italy (Sacco 1896b). — Lower-Middle Miocene: NSB: Belgium (Glibert 1952), Germany (Anderson 1964), the Netherlands (Janssen 1984). — Middle Miocene: Atlantic, Aquitaine Basin, France (Cossmann & Peyrot 1919), Loire Basin, France (Glibert 1949); Paratethys, Poland (Friedberg 1923; Bałuk 1975), Austria (Hörnes 1856; Schultz 1998), Bulgaria (Kojumdgieva & Strachimirov 1960), Hungary (Strausz 1966), Ukraine (Zelinskaya et al. 1968), eastern Paratethys (Iljina 1993); Proto-Mediterranean, NE Spain (Solsona 1998), Karaman Basin, Turkey (Fischer 1866; Landau et al. 2013). — Upper Miocene: Atlantic,NW France (Landau et al. 2020a), Portugal (Glibert 1963), SW Spain (Cárdenas et al. 2019); Proto-Mediterranean, Italy (Sacco 1896b; Venzo & Pelosio 1963; Boschele et al. 2021). — Lower Pliocene: NSB, Coralline Crag, England (Wood 1848; Harmer 1921), Belgium (Glibert 1958; Marquet 1998), Iceland (Eiríksson & Símonarson 2021), Atlantic, Santa Maria Island, Azores (Sacchetti et al. 2023); NW France (Van Dingenen et al. 2016), SW Spain (González-Delgado 1988; Landau et al. 2011; Brunetti 2022), Morocco (Lecointre 1952); NE Spain (Martinell 1979), Roussillon Basin, France (Fontannes 1879); central Mediterranean, Italy (Sacco 1896b; Palla 1967; Caprotti 1974; Brunetti & Cresti 2018), Tunisia (Fekih 1975). — Upper Pliocene: NSB,Red Crag, England (Wood 1848; Harmer 1921), Belgium (Glibert 1958; Marquet 1998); Atlantic, Pombal Basin, Portugal (Silva 2001), Morocco (Lecointre 1952); western Mediterranean, S. Spain (Landau et al. 2004); central Mediterranean, Italy (Malatesta 1974; Chirli 1988; Cavallo & Repetto 1992). — Upper Pliocene-Pleistocene: NW France (Brébion 1964). — Lower Pleistocene: Atlantic,Selsoif,NW France (this paper). — Pleistocene: Atlantic, British Isles (Glibert 1963), Morocco (Lecointre 1952); central Mediterranean, Italy (Cerulli-Irelli 1912; Taviani et al. 1998; Brunetti & Vecchi 2015; Chirli & Forli 2017), Sicily (Glibert 1963); eastern Mediterranean (Chirli & Linse 2011). Today this species occurs in the NE Atlantic, British Isles to Zaire, Madeira and Canaries, Mediterranean and Black Sea (Poppe & Goto 1991).

REMARKS

As discussed by Landau et al. (2004, 2013, 2020a), this species has an extremely variable shell in both profile profile; tall conical to almost flat, and sculpture; smooth or bearing small spines. The size and position of the protoconch varies between populations and it is possible that it represents a species complex rather than a single taxon (B. Landau & R. Pouwer pers. obs.).