Cancellicula dregeri ( 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 : 16-17

Cancellicula dregeri ( Hoernes & Auinger, 1890)

Figs 3F, 4F 1–F 2, 4G 1–G 2

Cancellaria (e. Narona ?) Dregeri nov. form.— Hoernes & Auinger 1890: 280, pl. 33, figs 18–19.

Admete nassiformis var. Dregeri (H. A.)— Sacco 1894: 73.

Admete nassiformis var. caudatior Sacco 1894: 73 .

Admete nassiformis (Segu.) var. dregeri Hö. Au. — Boettger 1906: 52.

? Admete (Babylonella) nassiformis (Seg.) var. dregeri Hörnes u. Auinger— Sieber 1936: 103.

Babylonella nassiformis dregeri (R. Hörn. Auing.) — Sieber 1956: 245.

Cancellaria dregeri Hoernes et Auinger — Csepreghy-Meznerics 1969a: 94, pl. 5, figs 20–21.

Cancellaria dregeri Hoernes et Auinger — Csepreghy-Meznerics 1972: 31, pl. 15, fig. 1.

Admete (s. l.) dregeri ( Hoernes & Auinger, 1890) — Landau et al. 2006: 88, pl. 9, figs 5–7 [cum syn].

Cancellicula dregeri ( Hoernes & Auinger, 1890) — Brunetti et al. 2009: 75, figs 14A–H.

Cancellicula dregeri ( Hoernes & Auinger, 1890) — Sosso & Dell’Angelo 2010: 44, p. 60 unnumbered fig. middle row centre.

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

Studied material. 2 spec. Niederleis ( Austria) NHMW 1863 /0015/0706; 1 spec. Jaroměřice ( Czech Republic) NHMW 1863 /0015/0706, 27 spec. Nový Rybnik near Mikulov ( Czech Republic) NHMW 1871 /0010/0045.

Illustrated material. Fig. 3F: Niederleis ( Austria), syntype, NHMW 1863 /0015/0706. Figs 4F 1–F 2: specimen illustrated in Hoernes and Auinger (1890, pl. 33, figs 18a–c), Niederleis ( Austria), height: 6.9 mm, width: 3.0 mm, syntype ; NHMW 1863 /0015/0706. Figs 4G 1–G 2: specimen illustrated in Hoernes and Auinger (1890, pl. 33, figs 19a–c), Jaroměřice ( Czech Republic), height: 5.5 mm, width: 2.8 mm , NHMW 1863 /0015/0706, holotype of Admete nassiformis caudatior Sacco, 1894 .

Discussion. Landau et al. (2006) provided a detailed description of this species, which is recognized easily by its peculiar, flattened protoconch with a median keel on the first whorl and strongly sigmoidal axial ribs close to transition into the teleoconch (see Landau et al. 2006). The aberrant protoconch and teleoconch morphologies and the absence of columellar folds resulted in a long discussion on the generic placement of the species ( Verhecken 1986, Landau et al. 2006). Tabanelli (2008) proposed Cancellicula as new genus for this species. The genus is represented by Cancellicula dregeri ( Hoernes & Auinger, 1890) and the Pliocene to Early Pleistocene C. profunda ( Tabanelli, 1985) . Both are recognised easily by their characteristic protoconch sculpture (see Landau et al. 2006, Brunetti et al. 2009). A separation of the slightly larger shell illustrated as fig. 19 by Hoernes and Auinger (1890, pl. 33) as distinct species or subspecies, as suggested by Sacco (1894), is unjustified.

Recently, Verhecken (2011) and Modica et al. (2011) placed also the extant Indo–West Pacific Admete aethiopica Thiele, 1925 in Cancellicula . Despite some superficial similarities in shell outline—which are probably mere convergences—this extant species differs significantly in its bulbous protoconch. For the same reason, the extant Brazilian Microcancilla jonasi Barros & Petit, 2007 is clearly not a Cancellicula and seems to be congeneric with “ Admete ” aethiopica . Therefore, Cancellicula is unknown so far from Recent faunas, and the extant species ascribed to this genus require revision concerning their generic placement.

Distribution. Cancellicula dregeri appears during the Badenian in many deeper water settings in the entire Paratethys Sea. In the Proto –Mediterranean Sea it is known from Tortonian, Messinian and Lower Pliocene deposits and persits there until the Pleistocene ( Landau et al. 2006).

Paratethys —Vienna Basin ( Czech Republic: Jaroměřice, Nový Rybnik near Mikulov; Austria: Niederleis, Baden, Baden–Sooss, Möllersdorf); Eisenstadt–Sopron Basin ( Austria: Forchtenau); Transylvanian Basin ( Romania: CoŞteiu de Sus); Western Carpathians ( Hungary: Bükk Mountains). ( Proto –)Mediterranean Sea —Messinian: Italy (Colli Torinesi, Borelli); Tortonian: Italy (Emilia Romagna, Montegibbio); Early Pliocene: Spain (Estepona), Italy (Toscana); Pleistocene: Italy.