Brocchinia bicarinata ( Hoernes & Auinger, 1890 )

Harzhauser, Mathias & Landau, Bernard, 2012, A revision of the Neogene Cancellariid Gastropods of the Paratethys Sea 3472, Zootaxa 3472, pp. 1-71 : 16

Brocchinia bicarinata ( Hoernes & Auinger, 1890)

Figs 3E, 4I 1–I 3

Cancellaria (g. Narona ) bicarinata nov. form.— Hoernes & Auinger 1890: 281, pl. 33, figs 16a–c.

Brocchinia parvula (Beyr.) var. bicarinata Hö. Au. — Boettger 1906: 51.

Brocchinia mitraeformis parvula ( Beyrich, 1856) — Janssen 1984a: 10, text–fig. 4 [non Cancellaria parvula Beyrich, 1856 ]. non Brocchinia parvula var. bicarinata Hoernes & Auinger, 1890 — Brunetti et al. 2011: 120, pl. 119, fig. J.

Type material. NHM Vienna ( Austria); see below for details .

Studied material. 1. spec. Bad Vöslau ( Austria) NHMW 1872/0030/0107; 1 spec. Niederleis ( Austria) NHMW 1866 /0001/0864; 2 spec. Jaroměřice (Czech Rep.) NHMW 1864 /0001/0353; 1 spec. Drnovice (Czech Rep.) NHMW 1865 /0036/0030.

Illustrated material. Figs. 3E, 4I 1–I 3: specimen illustrated in Hoernes and Auinger (1890, pl. 33, figs. 16a–c), Bad Vöslau ( Austria), height: 10.2 mm, width: 3.7 mm, NHMW 1872/0030/0107; designated as lectotype by Janssen (1984a).

Discussion. Although Janssen (1984a) was explicitly referring to the Paratethyan specimens of Cancellaria bicarinata Hoernes & Auinger, 1890 , when treating this taxon as synonym of Cancellaria parvula Beyrich, 1856 , we cannot follow his decision. The differences between the North Sea Basin species and the Paratethyan species are considerable. Brocchinia bicarinata lacks the axial ribs typical for B. parvula , its spiral sculpture is reduced to few sharp cords and the sutural ramp is broad, smooth and flat to slightly concave. These features separate Brocchinia bicarinata clearly from the species group of Brocchinia tauroparva Sacco, 1894 and B. parvula ( Beyrich, 1856) . The protoconch of B. bicarinata is high multispiral, and has a strongly deviating initial part, followed by a weakly convex whorl. The protoconch of B. parvula , as illustrated by Janssen (1984a) and Landau et al. (2006) is more convex and lacks a deviated initial part.

The specimen from the Early Miocene of Italy, illustrated by Brunetti et al. (2011) as Brocchinia parvula var. bicarinata differs from the Paratethyan shells in its convex whorls and stout outline. Its last whorl is much higher and its maximum convexity is more or less in its middle and not in the lower third as typical for B. bicarinata .

Distribution. Brocchinia bicarinata is known so far only from the Paratethys where it seems to be restricted to the early and middle Badenian.

Paratethys —Badenian: Vienna Basin ( Czech Republic: Jaroměřice, Drnovice; Austria: Bad Vöslau, Niederleis); Transylvanian Basin ( Romania: CoŞteiu de Sus).