Merica succineiformis ( Boettger, 1906 ) Harzhauser & Landau, 2012

Harzhauser, Mathias & Landau, Bernard, 2012, A revision of the Neogene Cancellariid Gastropods of the Paratethys Sea 3472, Zootaxa 3472, pp. 1-71 : 29-31

Merica succineiformis ( Boettger, 1906) nov. comb.

Figs 7A 1–A 3

Cancellaria (Aphera) succineiformis Boettger 1906: 51 .

Cancellaria (Aphera) succineiformis Boettger — Zilch 1934: 260, pl. 17, figs 24a–b. Type material. SMF Frankfurt ( Germany).

Illustrated material. Figs 7A 1–A 3: specimen illustrated in Zilch (1934, pl. 17, figs 24a–b), CoŞteiu de Sus ( Romania), height: 6 mm, width: 3.7 mm, SMF XII 2264 a, holotype by monotypy .

Discussion. A very rare species, which is known from a single specimen. It has a very low protoconch and a low and strongly convex early spire whorl. Based on its widely excavated columella and the shape of the columellar folds we place this species in Merica . Later whorls display an allometric growth resulting in a very wide and inflated last whorl, which resembles species of the cold water genus Nothoadmete Oliver, 1982 . These species, however, lack the deeply concave columella and the fasciole as developed by Merica succineiformis . Boettger (1906) discussed a relation with Aphera H. Adams & A. Adams, 1854 . The recent type species Aphera tessellata ( Sowerby, 1832) has prominent columellar folds, a straight columella, is slender, ovoid and develops a characteristic sculpture of densely spaced beads. Therefore, a close relation of the Miocene species with Aphera is unlikely. The aperture is comparable with that of species of Bonellitia Jousseaume, 1887b but the smooth shell and the expanding last whorl are atypical for this genus.

Distribution. Only known so far from the early Badenian of the Paratethys.

Paratethys —Badenian: Transylvanian Basin ( Romania: CoŞteiu de Sus).