Ovilia breitenbergerorum, 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 : 31-32

Ovilia breitenbergerorum nov. sp

Figs 7B 1–B 3

Cancellaria (Trigonostoma) trochlearis intermedia nov. var. — Hölzl 1958: 259, pl. 21, fig. 13 [non Cancellaria intermedia Bellardi, 1841 ].

Trigonostoma (Tr.) trochlearis intermedia (Hoelzl) — Hölzl 1973: 172 [non Cancellaria intermedia Bellardi, 1841 ].

Cancellaria (Ovilia) bernardi Mayer –Eymar— Hölzl 1973: 172 [non Cancellaria bernardii Mayer, 1861 ].

Material. 1 specimen.

Holotype. Figs 7B 1–B 3: height: 33 mm, width: 26 mm, NHMW 2012 /0012/0001.

Type stratum. Poorly sorted coastal sand of the Loibersdorf Formation.

Type locality. Mörtersdorf, Lower Austria.

Age: Early Miocene, Burdigalian.

Etymology. Named in honor of the fossil collectors Anton and Thomas Breitenberger, who donated the holotype.

Description. Protoconch unknown; teleoconch medium sized, ovoid, consisting of four whorls, with low gradate spire and high, barrel-shaped last whorl; suture deep, broadly canaliculate; axial sculpture absent; spiral sculpture consisting of smooth, subequal, strap-like, rounded cords separted by narrow but relatively deep interspaces, three on the penultimate whorl, 11 on the last whorl, secondary spiral sculpture absent; last whorl regularly convex, hardly constricted at base; outer lip thin, non-callused, regularly convex, pointed adapically, with crenulated edge, smooth within; columellar with deeply excavated mid-portion, bearing two weak oblique folds; parietal callus thickened, well delimited, moderately expanded; columellar callus thickened, forming medial border of umbilicus; umbilicus wide, shallow, bordered by a low but broad fasciole.

Discussion. Ovilia taurocaudata ( Sacco, 1894) , from the Burdigalian of the Italian Colli Torinesi, has a comparable ouline due to its higher last whorl. It is distinguished easily from O. breitenbergerorum by its weaker sculpture composed of flattened primary and secondary cords separated by narrower grooves, by its suture which is narrower and less canaliculate, and by its columella which is distinctly less excavated.

Ovilia breitenbergerorum is most similar to Ovilia doliolaris ( Basterot, 1825) , which is recorded from the Burdigalian of France and Italy. The French species differs especially in the presence of secondary spiral sculpture and the lower last whorl. Some specimens of O. doliolaris tend to develop a weak axial sculpture resulting in a slightly rugose surface of the spiral ribs. No such axial sculpture is developed in O. breitenbergerorum . Ovilia umbilicina ( Sacco, 1894) was based on its narrow umbilicus and depressed spire. The type material from the Colli Torinesi, however, has a rather wide umbilicus as typical in all specimens of the group and the spire height is not much different from French shells (see Ferrero Mortara et al. 1984). Therefore, we consider O. umbilicina as synonym of O. doliolaris . Mayer (1861) based the separation of Ovilia bernardii ( Mayer, 1861) , from the Burdigalian of France, on its less globular shape and more numerous and densely spaced spiral cords. Peyrot (1928), too, stated that O. bernardii differs in having a taller last whorl, being less globular than in doliolaris , a narrower sutural gutter; the secondary spiral sculpture is more strongly developed almost filling the space between the primary cords. Our own material (BL collection) from France, document the differences in sculpture but displays a globose last whorl and a comparable suture. Thus, O. bernardii might turn out to be also a synonym of O. doliolaris . Both taxa differ from Ovilia tauroaspira ( Sacco, 1894) very distinctly in their higher spire, much higher base, narrower umbilicus and less convex outer lip.

Cancellaria (Trigonostoma) trochlearis intermedia Hölzl, 1958 , from the Burdigalian of Bavaria, seems to represent a deformed and high-spired specimen of O. breitenbergerorum . Hölzl (1958) discussed its similarity to O. bernardii ( Mayer, 1861) and used “ intermedia ” to emphasise the intermediate position. Unfortunately, “ intermedia ” is unavailable as it is preoccupied for Cancellaria intermedia Bellardi, 1841 .

This interesting and very characteristic group of cancellariids survived into the Early Pliocene, represented in the western and central Mediterranean by the extremely rare Ovilia strozzii (Pecchioli, 1864) ( Chirli 2002) and in the adjacent Atlantic the closely similar Ovilia fenollerae Landau, 1984 and Ovilia onubensis Landau, 1984 , ( Landau et al. 2006; 2011) after which time the group seems to have disappeared. All the Pliocene species differ in having even more elevated strap-like cords, a wider, deeper and even more canaliculate suture than the Miocene congeners, and a wider and deeper umbilicus.

This species is superficially similar with Ventrilia trochlearis ( Faujas, 1817) . This Early Miocene species from France is much larger and develops more numerous spiral ribs (separated into primary and secondary ribs), has a higher spire and and a wide and deep umbilicus.

Distribution. A rare species, which is only known from the Paratethys Sea.

Paratethys —Eggenburgian (Early Burdigalian): Bohemian Massif ( Austria: Mörtersdorf); North Alpine Foreland Basin (Bavaria: Kaltenbachgraben).