Prodotia fusiformis (Hoernes & Auinger, 1890)

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 : 51-53

Prodotia fusiformis (Hoernes & Auinger, 1890)

Figs 26A–C

* Turbinella (Latirus) fusiformis nov. form.—Hoernes & Auinger 1890: 269, pl. 33, figs 10a–c.

non Cantharus (Pollia) fusiformis Hoernes et Auinger — Csepreghy-Meznerics 1954: pl. 4, figs 16–18 [= Europhos sp. ].

Type material. Lectotype (designated herein): NHMW1858 /0045/0594, SL: 17.4 mm, MD: 7.2 mm, Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania), illustrated in Hoernes & Auinger (1890: pl. 33, fig. 10), Figs 26A 1 –A 2 . Paralectotypes: NHMW 2023 /0356/0001, SL: 14.7 mm , MD: 6.8 mm, Rudice ( Czech Republic); Figs 26B 1 –B 2 . NHMW 1860 /0040/0119, SL: 16.7 mm , MD: 7.6 mm, Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania), Figs 26C 1 –C 2 .

Revised description. Small, moderately slender fusiform shell of up to seven teleoconch whorls; apical angle 39–42°. Protoconch unknown. Early teleoconch whorls weakly convex with deeply incised, shallowly undulating suture. Sculpture of prominent, broad, prosocline axial ribs, separated by narrower interspaces, overrun by three prominent, convex spiral cords separated by deeply incised interspaces bearing fine spiral threads. Primary cords strongly swollen over axials forming spirally elongated tubercles. On third to fourth teleoconch whorl, adapical cord splits into two close-set spirals. Last whorl attaining ~58% of total height, periphery evenly convex, moderately constricted at base, bearing prominent axial ribs (seven ribs on first teleoconch whorl) overrun by about ten spiral cords, tubercular at intersections, weakening over base; fasciole indistinct with narrow spiral cords. Aperture narrowly ovate. Columella moderately excavated in upper half, with three prominent denticles (not folds) on abapical half. Columellar callus forming broad, robust rim, sharply delimited from base. Anal canal broadly Ushaped, accentuated by small parietal denticle and bifid anal denticle. Outer lip strongly thickened by terminal varix. Three prominent wide-spaced knob-like denticles in outer lip with one or two much weaker denticles between lower pair and another weak denticle above adapical denticle. Siphonal canal moderately long, moderately wide, weakly deflected, shallowly notched.

Discussion. Placement of the Paratethyan species in Prodotia is tentative and based especially on its resemblance with the extant Prodotia castanea ( Melvill, 1912) from the Persian Gulf (e.g., Cernohorsky 1975: fig. 65). Vermeij (2006: 86) stated that Prodotia differed from ‘ Anna ’ (= Aplus De Gregorio, 1885 ) by having long lirae instead of denticles on the inner side of the outer lip. This feature, however, is not present in all species treated as Prodotia by Cernohorsky (1986) and Kantor et al. (2022). According to Vermeij (2006), the oldest representative of Prodotia is Peristernia waluensis Ladd, 1977 from the Early Miocene of Fiji ( Ladd 1977: pl. 18, fig. 13), which is, however, quite unlike the Paratethyan species. Species of Clivipollia Iredale, 1929 [type species Clivipollia imperita Iredale, 1929 (= Clivipollia pulchra ( Reeve, 1846a), by monotypy], present-day, Indo-West Pacific], differ in their stout biconic shape. The stout outline with conical base distinguishes also Speccappollia Fraussen & Stahlschmidt, 2016 and Minioniella Fraussen & Stahlschmidt, 2016 from Prodotia fusiformis (see Fraussen & Stahlschmidt 2016a for a revision of this group). The monotypic Enzinopsis Iredale, 1940 [type species Engina gannita Hedley, 1914 (= Enzinopsis contracta ( Reeve, 1846a)), present-day, Indo-West Pacific)] differs mainly in its shorter spire, higher number of denticles on the columellar callus and the more numerous denticles along the outer lip (see Kantor et al. 2022: fig 19F).

The Pisaniidae genus Monostiolum Dall, 1904 , as revised by Watters & Finlay (1989), is superficially similar but differs in its slenderer outline, higher spire, higher, less convex last whorl and spiral sculpture of more numerous spiral cords.

The Paratethyan species is also strikingly similar to a group of Miocene-Lower Pliocene species from the Atlantic of northwestern France placed by Landau et al. (2019: 165) in the columbellid genus Nassarina Dall, 1889 [type species (by original designation) Nassarina bushii Dall, 1889 (= Nassarina bushiae ( Dall, 1889)) , present-day, Caribbean]. However, all those species that include Nassarina collyrata ( Millet, 1865) , N. hordacea ( Millet, 1865) and N. milleti ( Van Dingenen, Ceulemans & Landau, 2017) have strongly cancellate sculpture and no parietal denticle.

Paleoenvironment. Unknown, probably middle to outer neritic environments.

Distribution in Central Paratethys. Badenian (Middle Miocene): North Alpine-Carpathian Foreland Basin: Rudice ( Czech Republic) (Hoernes & Auinger 1890); Făget Basin: Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania) (Hoernes & Auinger 1890).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Measurements for shell morphology; AA: apical angle, SL: shell length, MD: maximum diameter, LWH: last whorl height, AH: aperture height, AL: aperture length, AW: aperture width.

FIGURE 2. Colubraria subobscura (Hoernes & Auinger, 1884). A1–A3. NHMW 1854/0035/0170, paralectotype, Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania). B1–B2. NHMW 1859/0037/0018a, paralectotype, Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania). C1–C3. NHMW 1865/0001/0183, paralectotype, Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania). D1–D2. NHMW 1859/0037/0018b, paralectotype, Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania). E1–E3. NHMW 1874/0025/0021, lectotype, Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania). F1–F2. NHMW 2023/0338/0001, paralectotype, Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania).

FIGURE 26. Prodotia fusiformis (Hoernes & Auinger, 1890). A1–A2. NHMW1858/0045/0594, lectotype, Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania). B1–B2. NHMW 2023/0356/0001, paralectotype, Rudice (Czech Republic). C1–C2. NHMW 1860/0040/0119, paralectotype, Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania).