Conus (Kalloconus) helladicus, Psarras & Koskeridou & Merle, 2021

Psarras, Christos, Koskeridou, Efterpi & Merle, Didier, 2021, Late Miocene Conidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of Crete (Greece). Part 1: genera Conilithes Swainson, 1840 and Conus (Kalloconus) da Motta, 1991, Geodiversitas 43 (24), pp. 1309-1339 : 1328

Conus (Kalloconus) helladicus n. sp.

( Fig. 18 ; Table 8 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:796AC37E-AC9E-48FE-89B6-2C11F282F6B5

Kalloconus hungaricus – Landau et al. 2013: pl. 37, figs 9-10, pl. 38, fig. 1.

DIAGNOSIS. — A medium-sized shell, with almost flat spire whorls and a colour pattern bearing wide flammulae on spire whorls, with spiral rows of dashes on last whorl.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype: AMPG(IV) 2660 , Psalidha ( Fig. 18B ). Three paratypes, MNHN.F. A72636 to MNHN.F. A72638 , Crete ( Fig. 18A, C, D ). TYPE LOCALITY. — Psalidha , 35°05’08.1”N, 24°57’46.0”E, Messara Basin, Tortonian, Crete, Greece. STRATIGRAPHIC RANGE. — Tortonian of Greece (Messara Basin, Crete). ETYMOLOGY. — As Conus (Kalloconus) hungaricus Hoernes & Auinger, 1879 was first found in Hungary, we propose Conus (Kalloconus) helladicus n. sp., a species found in Greece ( Hellas in Greek).

OTHER MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Greece. Tefeli: four specimens AMPG(IV) 2661-2662 , 2676-2677 ; Crete: one specimen ( MNHN.F. A72639 ). All of them display a colour patterns under UV light .

SHELL DESCRIPTION

Medium-sized, robust shells, with relatively low spired whorls. Early spire whorls coeloconoid. Last spire whorls, smooth, straight to concave, creating a low conical to flat outline. Suture impressed. Subsutural flexure shallow, weakly curved, moderately asymmetrical. Shoulder rounded, protruded, creating a bulky outline. Maximum diameter below shoulder. Last whorl straight. Aperture moderate, narrow near suture, straight. Apertural canal wide, fasciole twisted, demarcated from base and inner lip. There are two extreme forms. Form 1 consists of robust forms which are relatively wider in comparison to form 2 and have low angled spire whorls. Form 2 consists of relatively elongated forms with flat spire whorl. Intermediate forms also exist.

DESCRIPTION OF COLOUR PATTERN

The colour pattern consists of one layer of short and long, fluorescent, spiral dashes, arranged in evenly spaced spiral rows. The spire whorls display wide, fluorescent flammulae, with irregular boundaries on a non-fluorescent base colour. The flammulae do not connect with the colour pattern of the last whorl.

REMARKS

This species shows some variations in the relative diameter of its spire whorls ( Table 8 ). The difference between the elongated and robust forms is not very variable. However intermediate forms ( Fig. 18B, C ) between both forms ( Fig. 18A, D ) point towards the existence of a single species.

Conus (Kalloconus) hungaricus specimens sensu Landau et al. (2013: pl. 37, figs 9, 10, pl. 38, fig. 1) from the Karaman Basin ( Turkey) are more likely to be Conus (Kalloconus) helladicus n. sp., because of their flat spire whorls and their identical colour pattern.

Conus (Kalloconus) hungaricus Hoernes & Auinger, 1879 from Paratethys seems closely related to Conus (Kalloconus) helladicus n. sp., but the medium height, conical spire whorls and the subsutural flexure of Conus (Kalloconus) hungaricus (medium depth, moderately curved, seeHarzhauser & Landau 2016) are characters separating both species. Conus (Kalloconus) tietzei Hoernes & Auinger, 1879 differs in the relatively angulated shoulder and the medium depth of the subsutural flexure ( Harzhauser & Landau 2016). Conus (Kalloconus) gulemani Erünal-Erentöz, 1958 bears a similar morphology and a colour pattern. The differences between both species exist on the spiral whorl height and the smoother shoulder of Conus (Kalloconus) gulemani . All these species seem to be very closely related, but the differential characters of Conus (Kalloconus) helladicus n. sp. caused us to consider the Greek material as a new species.

Figures

FIG. 18. — Conus (Kalloconus) helladicus n. sp. from the Tortonian of Crete (Greece): A, Paratype MNHN.F.A72638: a solid club shaped shell with large relative diameter (form 1) and a distinct colour pattern; B, Holotype AMPG(IV) 2660, Psalidha: a low spired specimen with a relatively narrow diameter (form 2), with a distinct colour pattern; C, Paratype MNHN.F.A72636: a small-sized shell with large relative diameter (form 1); D, Paratype MNHN.F.A72637: a flat spired conid with slightly protruding early spire whorls (form 2). Scale bar: 1 cm.