Pisaniidae Gray, 1857

Harzhauser, Mathias & Landau, Bernard M., 2024, The Colubrariidae, Eosiphonidae, Melongenidae, Pisaniidae, Prodotiidae and Tudiclidae (Gastropoda, Buccinoidea) of the Miocene Paratethys Sea, Zootaxa 5427 (1), pp. 1-110 : 27-28

Family Pisaniidae Gray, 1857

Revised diagnosis. “ Shell medium-sized to medium-large, exceptionally reaching 100 mm ( Cantharus ), from fusiform to broadly fusiform or biconic, with low to medium-high spire and short to nearly obsolete siphonal canal. Protoconch small, paucispiral or multispiral, comprising 1.5 to more than 3.5 whorls. Whorl outline flattened, weakly or strongly convex. Axial sculpture of strong and closely spaced ribs, rarely absent ( Pisania ). Spiral sculpture ranging from fine striation to distinct prominent cords, sometimes keels forming nodules at intersection with axial ribs. Aperture high, outer lip typically thickened, striated or denticulated inwards. Inner lip often heavily calloused, often with distinct anal denticle or knob, sometimes bearing multiple denticles or lirae.” ( Kantor et al. 2022: 839).

Discussion. Of the extant genera placed in Pisaniidae by Kantor et al. (2022) Aplus De Gregorio, 1885 , Dianthiphos Watters, 2009 and Monostiolum Dall, 1904 appear in Paratethyan assemblages. In addition, the extinct genera Janiopsis Rovereto, 1899 and Hilda Hoernes & Auinger, 1884 are documented herein.

Genus Aplus De Gregorio, 1885

Type species. Murex plicatus forma serzus De Gregorio, 1885 ( de Gregorio 1885 a: 281) [= Aplus ansus De Gregorio, 1884 ]; subsequent designation by Vokes (1971: 83). Pliocene, Italy.

Original diagnosis. “ Bucciniform or mitriform of somewhat rough appearance, outer lip thick with denticles, inner lip corrugate. Whorls costate and funiculate” ( De Gregorio 1885 a: 279, translated from Italian).

Revised diagnosis. “Medium-sized shell (H => 10 mm <30 mm). Smooth, multispiral or paucispiral protoconch. Sturdy shell, with convex, elongated teleoconch whorls, with little accentuated or absent sutural ramp, sculpture formed by the crossing of strong, tuberculose spiral cords of variable thicknesses. Aperture with short siphonal canal, straight columella, folds on the outer lip and columella, presence of a tooth or fold near the posterior groove. Umbilicus absent.” ( Brunetti & Della Bella 2014: 15, translated from Italian).

Discussion. Aplus species are characterized by their U-shaped anal canal, which is accentuated by prominent parietal and anal denticles. The columella bears more or less prominent granulae or folds and is angled at the transition to the siphonal canal. The outer lip bears about six to ten prominent denticles, which do not weaken significantly abapically, and the adapical tip of the aperture is often thickened and slightly flaring or alate. Although Brunetti & Della Bella (2014) described the spiral cords as tuberculose, the cords are swollen in most species where they overrun the axial ribs, but without forming discrete tubercles. We therefore prefer to call then swollen rather than tubercular or beaded.

Most of the Miocene species described herein agree fully with this scheme and are morphologically reminiscent of extant Mediterranean species, e.g., Aplus hofae nov. sp. and Aplus dorbignyi ( Payraudeau, 1826) and Aplus ranellaeformis (Hoernes & Auinger, 1890) and Aplus coccineus ( Monterosato, 1884) . Occasionally, lirae may occur within the outer lip [e.g., Aplus assimilis ( Reeve, 1846a)]. The latter species nests within Aplus in the molecular phylogeny of Aissaoui et al. (2016), proving that this feature is variable within the genus. Therefore, we also place Aplus transsylvanicus (Hoernes & Auinger, 1890) in Aplus , which lacks labial denticles (see below for description).

The species group described herein in Aplus was placed in Anna Risso, 1826 (type species Anna massena Risso, 1826 , by monotypy) by Vermeij (2006), García (2008) and Landau et al. (2013). Brunetti & Della Bella (2014) argued that Anna massena from the Pliocene of France, is probably a Raphitomidae (Conoidea) . The next available generic taxon for this group is Aplus de Gregorio,1885 ( Brunetti & Della Bella 2014; Aissaoui et al. 2016; Van Dingenen et al. 2017; see also MolluscaBase Eds. 2021a). De Gregorio (1885 a: 279) listed two species as types (“ plicata Brocc., dorbignyi Payr. ”). Later, Vokes (1971: 83) designated Murex plicatus forma serzus De Gregorio, 1885 ( de Gregorio 1885 a: 281) as type. That species was treated as synonym of Aplus ansus De Gregorio, 1884 by Brunetti & Della Bella (2014).

The genus is extraordinarily speciose in the present-day Mediterranean Sea andAissaoui et al. (2016)distinguished 66 species based on molecular and conchological data. Those authors observed a good correlation between species defined on morphological features and molecular data. Therefore, the herein applied morphospecies-concept is likely to reflect true past diversity. For the separation of the West African and Mediterranean Aplus from the Indo-West Pacific genera Cantharus Röding, 1798 and Pollia Gray, 1834 , see Aissaoui et al. (2016: 526).