Conus (Lautoconus) sp.

Psarras, Christos, Merle, Didier, Moissette, Pierre & Koskeridou, Efterpi, 2024, The Pleistocene Conidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from the island of Rhodes (Greece) and their palaeoecological significance, Geodiversitas 46 (11), pp. 423-444 : 432-433

Conus (Lautoconus) sp.

( Fig. 6 )

LOCALITY. — TSS1 (TSS1 of Cornée et al. 2006, 2018), Rhodes, Greece, Ladiko-Tsampika Fm, Tsampika section ( Fig. 1 ).

HORIZON. — Tsampika section, Chibanian (Middle Pleistocene) of Ladiko-Tsampika Fm,

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Greece • 1 specimen; Rhodes ; Ladiko-Tsampika Fm , Tsampika section, TSS1; Chibanian (Middle Pleistocene); MNHN.F.A88169 .

STRATIGRAPHIC RANGE. — Chibanian (Middle Pleistocene) of Ladiko-Tsampika Fm, Rhodes, Greece.

DESCRIPTION

Shell

Small-sized shell (max length of about 9.6 mm), with nearly straight spire. Spire whorl outline straight to slightly convex, with faint spiral groove on sutural ramp. Shoulder smooth, with maximum diameter below shoulder. Suture impressed. Subsutural flexure very shallow, moderately curved, moderately asymmetrical.

Colour pattern

The colour pattern consists of one level of pigmentation of broad axial flammulae beginning at the sutural ramp and continuing axially along the last whorl.

REMARKS

This specimen ( Fig. 6 ) is morphologically very similar to Conus (Lautoconus) ventricosus rhodesensis n. subsp., but has a completely different colour pattern. We consider it to be a Conus (Lautoconus) species due to its spiral groove and the straight to convex spire, characteristics of this subgenus, but more specimens need to be found to describe this species. The pattern with axial flammulae is similar to other Conus (Lautoconus) species (see for example in Monnier et al. 2018b, Conus zebroides Kiener, 1848 , Conus bulbus Reeve, 1843 and Conus guinaicus Hwass in Bruguière, 1792).

Figures

FIG. 6. — Conus (Lautoconus) sp. from the Pleistocene of Tsampika, Rhodes (Greece) under natural (A1, A2, A5, A6) and UV (A3, A4, A7) light: A, MNHN.F. A88169. Lines on A5 indicate the subsutural flexure. Scale bar: 1 cm.

FIG. 1. — Information about the studied section of Tsampika in Rhodes, Greece: A, general tectonic setting of the southern Aegean. B, geological map of Rhodes with the site of Tsampika as a blue star (*); C, satellite position of the studied section; D, geological map of Tsampika area, displaying the section (*), the cross section of Cornée et al. (2006) (red line a-b) and the location of the section of Cornée et al. (2018) (black arrow); E, cross section of the Ladiko-Tsampika Formation in Tsampika that was studied by Cornée et al. (2006), highlighting the area of study with a blue arrow; F, synthetic stratigraphic column of the section with the Conidae specimens recovered from TSS a. Notice that TSS d and TSS gravels (above arrow) were not visible on the figured section (Fig. 2), but were identified in nearby smaller sections. Maps A and B were modified from Cornée et al. 2018; D-E from Cornée et al. 2006. TSS beds belong to the TSS1 sequence of Cornée et al. (2006, 2018).