Murexsul moravicus (Hoernes & Auinger, 1885)

Murexsul moravicus (Hoernes & Auinger, 1885) View in CoL

Figs 14 View FIGURE 14 , 17A–C View FIGURE 17

* Murex (Muricidea) moravicus nov. form.—Hoernes & Auinger 1885: 206, pl. 24, figs. 14–16.

M [urex]. (Muricidea) moravicus Hö. Au. — Boettger 1902: 31.

Murex (Muricidea) moravicus Hö. Au. View in CoL — Boettger 1906: 44.

Murex Tarnopolensis Friedb. View in CoL — Friedberg 1912: 170, pl. 11, fig. 2.

Murex tarnopolensis Friedberg 1912 View in CoL — Zelinskaya et al. 1968: 186, pl. 44, figs. 9–10.

[ Orania View in CoL ] moravicus Hoernes & Auinger, 1885 View in CoL — Vokes 1971: 73.

Muricopsis (Muricopsis) moravica (Hoernes et Auinger, 1885) — Kovács 2019: 122, figs. 28–29.

? Murexsul sztanoae View in CoL n. sp. — Kovács & Vicián 2024: 10, figs. 18–21.

Type material. Lectotype (designated herein):NHMW 2024/0159/0001, SL: 21.8 mm, MD: 11.9 mm, Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou ( Czech Republic), illustrated in Hoernes & Auinger (1885: pl. 24, fig. 15), figs. 17B 1 –B 3 . Paralectotypes: NHMW 2024/0159/0002, SL: 22.1 mm, MD: 13.1 mm, Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou ( Czech Republic), illustrated in Hoernes & Auinger (1885: pl. 24, fig. 16), figs. 17A 1 –A 3. NHMW 2024/0159/0003, SL: 19.5 mm, MD: 9.2 mm, Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou ( Czech Republic), illustrated in Hoernes & Auinger (1885: pl. 24, fig. 14), figs. 17C 1 –C 3 .

Holotype of Murex tarnopolensis Friedberg 1912 : Nr. 712, State Natural History Museum, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, L’viv), SL: 11.5 mm, MD: 6.2 mm, Ternopol (Ternopil) ( Ukraine), illustrated in Friedberg (1912: pl. 11, fig. 2)

Holotype of Murexsul sztanoae Kovács & Vicián, 2024 : HNHM M.60.10.556, SL: 19.0 mm, MD: 9.9 mm, Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania), illustrated in Kovács & Vicián 2024: figs. 18–19). Paratype: HNHM M.60.7957, SL: 13.5 mm, MD: 7.3 mm, Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania), illustrated in Kovács & Vicián 2024: figs. 20–21).

Revised description. Small, moderately slender fusiform shell with gradate spire; apical angle ~50–55°. Protoconch unknown. Teleoconch of up to six whorls; suture moderately incised. Early teleoconch whorls with shallow, straight subsutural ramp and P1, P2 and P3. Axial sculpture of nine moderately prominent, weakly foliose axial ribs and scabrose growth lines. On antepenultimate and penultimate whorl IP, adis and abis indistinct; P1, P2 and P3 prominent; P1 forming short, small spines; s1, s2 delicate. Last whorl attaining ~70% of total height, shouldered, convex mid-whorl, strongly constricted below. Eight widely spaced, narrow, foliose varices. P1–P5 forming broad, prominent spiral cords, IP and P6 weak. ADP, MP and ABP close-set, broad cords, adis, abis, s1–s6 and ads weak. Fasciole swollen, delimiting broad pseudumbilicus. Aperture roundly ovate. Outer lip thickened, with bevelled edge, shallow incision at shoulder running to P1. D1–D5 prominent, weakening abapically; D5 occasionally bifid. Anal canal indistinct. Siphonal canal of medium length, wide, open, slightly deflected to the left, weakly dorsally recurved. Columella excavated in adapical half, with two low, indistinct denticles placed abapically, twisted at siphonal canal. Columellar callus forming broad adherent rim.

Paratethyan synonyms. Murex tarnopolensis Friedberg, 1912 is based on a worn specimen, which seems to be conspecific with Murexsul moravicus (Hoernes & Auinger, 1885) .

Murexsul sztanoae Kovács & Vicián 2024 was separated from Murexsul moravica (Hoernes & Auinger, 1885) based on “ its more slender spire, much finer spiral cords and narrower axial ribs, weaker denticles, lack of pseudoumbilicus, and less scabrous surface by more widely spaced growth lines. ” ( Kovács & Vicián 2024: 11). In our opinion, these differences are minor and do not justify a separation. We include this species here with question mark as we cannot exclude that it might turn out to be a subspecies of Murexsul moravicus .

Discussion. Murexsul moravicus (Hoernes & Auinger, 1885) was placed in Muricopsis by Kovács (2019). However, the aperture, which lacks an ID and a prominent D2, excludes this placement. Several Pliocene species from the Mediterranean Sea are reminiscent of Murexsul moravicus : Murexsul alternicostus ( Michelotti, 1841) , differs in its broader outline and less constricted base (see Merle et al. 2022: pl. 24, figs. 4–7). Murexsul parvoligusticus ( Sacco, 1904) is very similar, and also has strongly angled whorls, but differs in its less convex periphery, broader varices and weaker secondary cords (see Merle et al. 2022: pl. 25, figs. 4–5). Sacco (1904) illustrated two specimens as Murex (Poirieria) constantiae var. parvoligustica . Of these, the specimen illustrated in Sacco (1904: pl. 5, fig. 28) was designated as lectotype of Murexsul parvoligusticus by Merle et al. (2022: 218), whereas the specimen illustrated in Sacco (1904: pl. 5, fig. 29) was transferred to Paziella constantiae ( D’Ancona, 1871) by Merle et al. (2022). The generic placement of Paziella constantiae follows Merle et al. (2011: 508).

Murexsul neocostatus ( Cossmann, 1903) has comparably prominent cords but is broader and has a broader subsutural ramp (see Merle et al. 2022: pl. 25, figs. 1–3).

Paleoenvironment. Inner neritic, shallow marine. Distribution in Central Paratethys. Badenian (Middle Miocene): Polish-Ukrainian Fore-Carpathian Basin:

Ternopol (Ternopil) ( Ukraine) ( Friedberg 1912); Carpathian Foredeep: Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou ( Czech Republic)

(Hoernes & Auinger 1885); Făget Basin: Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania) ( Kovács & Vicián 2024).

Genus Pazinotus E.H. Vokes, 1970

Type species. Eupleura stimpsonii Dall, 1889 View in CoL ; original designation by E.H. Vokes (1970: 27). Present-day, Western Atlantic.