Coralliophila acuta, Harzhauser & Landau & Merle, 2025

Coralliophila acuta sp. nov.

Figs 37 View FIGURE 37 , 38A–D View FIGURE 38

Murex View in CoL ( Occenebra [sic]) alternatus Bell.— Hoernes & Auinger 1890: 224 (pars), pl. 27, figs. 7–8 [non fig. 6 = Coralliophila elegantula sp. nov.; non Coralliophila alternata ( Bellardi, 1873) ]

Coralliophila fusiformis uniformicostulata Sacco — Csepreghy-Meznerics 1954: 37, pl. 1, figs. 23, 25 [non Coralliophila uniformicostulata Sacco, 1904 ].

Coralliophila granifera Michelotti, 1847 View in CoL — Strausz 1966: 286, pl. 36, figs. 6–7 [non Coralliophila granifera Michelotti, 1847 View in CoL ].

Coralliophila cf. granifera ( Michelotti, 1847) View in CoL — Kovács et al. 2018: 129, figs. 9L–M.

Coralliophila burdigalensis Tournouër, 1874 View in CoL — Kovács 2019: 137, figs. 71–74 [non Coralliophila burdigalensis Tournouër, 1874 View in CoL ].

? Coralliophila burdigalensis Tournouër, 1874 View in CoL — Kovács 2020: 459, pl. 4, figs. 22–23.

Coralliophila serraticincta Bałuk, 1995 View in CoL — Kovács 2020: 459, pl. 4, figs. 28–29 [non Coralliophila serraticincta Bałuk, 1995 View in CoL ].

Type material. Holotype: NHMW 1856/0050/0456, SL: 17.9 mm, MD: 11.1 mm, Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania), figs. 38A 1 –A 3. Paratypes: NHMW 1854/0035/0208a, SL: 16.3 mm, MD: 9.4 mm, Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania), illustrated in Hoernes & Auinger (1890: pl. 27, fig. 8), figs. 38B 1 –B 2. NHMW 1874/0025/0064, SL: 15.5 mm, MD: 9.7 mm, Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania), illustrated in Hoernes & Auinger (1890: pl. 27, fig. 7), figs. 38C 1 –C 3. NHMW 1856/0050/0456, SL: 15.9 mm, MD: 10.7 mm, Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania), figs. 38D 1 –D 3.

Additional material. 8 spec., NHMW 1876/0011/0078, Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania) ; 6 spec., NHMW 1860/0015/0148, Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania) ,

Type locality. Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania), Făget Basin .

Type stratum. Silt and clay of the Dej Formation.

Age. Middle Miocene, early/middle Badenian (Langhian).

Etymology. acutus, Latin for acute, referring to the pointed spire.

Diagnosis. Small, biconic shell with high, coeloconoid spire with allometrically widening subsutural ramp on last whorl, angled shoulder, delicate sculpture of subequal primary (IP, P5, P6, ADP, MP, ABP and EAB1 and secondary spiral cords (adis, abis, s1–s6, ads) with slightly more prominent P1, P2, P3, P4.

Description. Small, biconic shell with high, coeloconoid spire; apical angle ~51°. Protoconch unknown. Teleoconch of at least five whorls. Suture moderately incised, linear to shallowly undulating. Early teleoconch whorls high, with steep, broad, straight sided to weakly concave subsutural ramp, angled shoulder placed short distance above suture, weakly incised below. Axial sculpture of 11 broad, rounded ribs overrun by numerous close-set spiral cords adis, IP, adis and tertiary threads; P1 along shoulder prominent, P2 close to anterior suture line. Last whorl attaining ~70% of total height; slightly allometrically widening with broad, weakly convex, shallower subsutural ramp, rounded angulation at periphery, rapidly contracting below. About 11 broad axial ribs most prominent along periphery; in axial view aligned, winding around in anticlockwise direction. Subsutural ramp with about nine, close-set, weakly scabrose cords with only slightly more prominent adis, IP and abis. Dense spiral sculpture of subequal primary (P5, P6, ADP, MP, ABP and EAB1 and secondary cords (s1 to s6 and ads); P1, P2, P3 and P4 slightly more prominent; P6 corresponding to the boundary between the convex part of whorl and siphonal canal. Fasciole narrow, raised, delimiting broad, moderately deep pseudoumbilicus. Aperture moderately wide, pyriform; outer lip not thickened, smooth within. Anal canal wide, indistinct; siphonal canal moderately long, open, wide, straight. Columella straight, smooth. Columellar callus forming broad, sharply delimited rim, erect at siphonal canal.

Discussion. Coralliophila acuta sp. nov. is slightly variable concerning the width of the last whorl, ranging from relatively slender shells to comparatively inflated, and the development of primary cords P2 and P3, which can be prominent or not. Csepreghy-Meznerics (1954) identified this Paratethyan species as Coralliophila uniformicostulata Sacco, 1904 , from the Early or Middle Miocene of the Colli Torinesi ( Italy). Both are closely related, but C. uniformicostulata differs from C. acuta sp. nov. in its coarser spiral sculpture and the more prominent P3, P4,ADP and MP. Sacco (1904: 75, pl. 17, figs. 24, 25) illustrated two specimens which are surely not conspecific. Herein we designate specimen fig. 24 as lectotype of Coralliophila uniformicostulata Sacco, 1904 . The specimen illustrated by Sacco (1904) as fig. 25 differs in its broader spire and convex last whorl. No exact locality data is available for fig. 24 (‘Colli Torinesi’) whereas the specimen illustrated on fig 25 comes from Bersano ( Italy). Coralliophila burdigalensis Tournouër, 1874 , from the Early Miocene of France, is also morphologically similar to C. acuta and Kovács (2019) identified Paratethyan specimens as this Burdigalian species. However, they differ in the more convex spire whorls, deeper incised suture and more convex last whorl of C. burdigalensis . In addition, in C. burdigalensis the primary spirals are subequal, and P1, P3, P4 are not usually markedly stronger (see Lozouet & Renard 1998: 173, figs. 2/1–10; Lozouet et al. 2001: 60, pl. 25, figs. 1–10).

Paleoenvironment. Unknown, probably shallow marine.

Distribution in Central Paratethys. Badenian (Middle Miocene): Cserhát Hills: Letkés, Sámsonháza ( Hungary) ( Strausz 1966; Kovács et al. 2018); Mecsek Mountains: Mecsekpölöske ( Hungary) ( Kovács 2020); Făget Basin: CoŞteiu de Sus, Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania) ( Kovács 2019; hoc opus).