Cryptoplax weinlandi Šulc, 1934

Cryptoplax weinlandi Šulc, 1934

Fig. 152 View FIGURE 152

Cryptoplax weinlandi (Rolle) ; Boettger 1902, p. 180 ( nomen nudum).

Cryptoplax weinlandi Šulc, 1934, p. 21 , pl. 2, figs 36–40; Zilch 1934, p. 199, pl. 1, figs 18–22; Toth 1942, p. 504; Sieber 1956, p. 238; Sieber 1958, p. 144; Sieber 1959, p. 275; Marinescu 1964, p. 183, pl. 4, figs a–e; Bałuk 1971, p. 466, pl. 6, figs 1–8; Laghi 1977, p. 114; Van Belle 1981, p. 80; Ruggieri 1982, p. 81, fig. 1; Bałuk 1984, p. 294; Zanaroli 1985, p. 119, pl. 3, figs 2–4; Studencka & Studencki 1988, p. 43; Suraru & Papp 1993, p. 34, pl. 7, fig. 50; Ruman in Kováč et al. 1999, pl. 2, figs 3–4; Dulai 2001, p. 45, pl. 2, figs 4–6, pl. 3, figs 1–6; Kroh 2002, p. 10; Kroh 2003, p. 135, pl. 1, figs 8–12; Dulai 2005, p. 40, pl. 5, figs 5–12, pls 6–7, pl. 8, figs 1–12; Zágoršek 2006, p. 98, fig. 2; Dell’Angelo et al. 2007a, p. 45, fig. 5; Dell’Angelo et al. 2007a, p. 47; Dulai & Studencka 2007, p. 17; Puchalski et al. 2008 (database: chiton fossil records); Studencka & Dulai 2010, p. 271; Ruman & Hudácková 2015, p. 165, fig. 5.5; Dell’Angelo et al. 2016, p. 94, pl. 7, figs 13–25; Dell’Angelo et al. 2018b, p. 54, tab. 17; Dell’Angelo et al. 2020b, p. 53, tab. 9; Biskupič 2023, p. 752; Dulai & Katona 2024, p. 46, figs 43–45; Dulai 2025a, p. 13, figs 22–29; Dulai 2025b, p. 33, figs 26–29.

Cryptoplax (?) weinlandi ; Ashby & Cotton 1935, p. 391.

Cryptoplax weilandi (sic); Rado & Mutiu 1970, p. 145, 148, pl. 7, figs 7, 11; Rado 1971, p. 178.

Cryptolax weilandi (sic); Rado 1969, p. 193, pl. 2, fig. 35–38.

Cryptoplax teinlandi (sic); Florei 1978, p. 21.

Cryptoplax viciani Dell’Angelo, Grigis & Bonfitto, 2005, p. 11; Dulai 2005, p. 42; Dell’Angelo et al. 2007a, p. 45 ( nomen nudum).

Type material. Unknown, not present in NHMW.

Type locality. Rudoltice ( Czech Republic) .

Type stage. Middle Miocene.

Material examined. Middle Miocene: Central Paratethys (Langhian-Serravallian): Austria: Enzesfeld: 5 valves ( BD 1143 ) , Forchtenau : 40 valves ( NHMW 1866 /0001/1210, Figs 152D–F View FIGURE 152 ), Niederleis: 22 valves ( NHMW 1863 /0058/0033, 1866/0001/0977), Steinabrunn: 1 valve ( NHMW 1871 /0010/0410), Romania: Kostej: 5 valves ( BD

1144, NHMW 1869/0001/0797), Lăpugiu de Sus: 233 valves ( BD 1145, Figs 152G–H View FIGURE 152 , NHMW 1868/0001/0634, 1876A/0011/0174, 2010/0256/0012); Hungary: Bánd: 161 valves ( BD 1146), Letkés: 63 valves ( BD 1147), Márkháza: 2 valves ( BD 1148); Eastern Paratethys: Ukraine: Horodok: 1 valve ( BD 1149); Italy (Serravallian): Monchio di Sarzano Casina : 2 valves ( BD 1150). Upper Miocene (Tortonian): Italy: Borelli: 2 valves ( MZB 32130, Fig. 152I View FIGURE 152 , PG), Montegibbio: 14 valves ( BD 1151), Rio di Bocca d’Asino: 83 valves ( BD 1152, PG), Vargo: 1 valve ( PG), Vigoleno: 29 valves ( BD 1153), Villa Monti: 426 valves ( BD 1154, Fig. 152J View FIGURE 152 , MZB 32125–32129, Figs 152A–C, 152K–M View FIGURE 152 , PG). Maximum width of the valves: 6 / 9.8 / 8.5 mm.

Description. Head valve elongated semicircular, slope convex, Intermediate valves ii of pentagonal shape, smaller, length varying between 2.3 and 4.3 mm (WT/LT = 0.64–0.78), apex triangular, jugal area smooth, trapezoidal, with wider anterior base and wedge shaped sides; intermediate valves iii-vii larger and more elongated, length varying between 3.6 and 6.8 mm (WT/LT = 0.35–0.55), apex rounded or more pointed, jugal area smooth, rectangular, with parallel sides or slightly wedge-shaped. Tail valve of pentagonal shape, with low mucro at posterior end, antemucronal slope convex, postmucronal slope straight.

Tegmentum strongly porous, with megalaesthetes and micraesthetes irregularly arranged in grooves between ribs; if ornamentation is granulose, most aesthetes are on granules, with a megalaesthete subcentral and micraesthetes irregularly around; HV ornamented with irregular wavy ribs emanating from posterior margin, joining in irregularly lobed network, dominated by radial direction, ribs may become granulose near apex; PLA of intermediate valves ii ornamented by up to 10 slightly undulating ribs, ribs may become granulöse near apex; PLA of intermediate valves iii-vii ornamented by 6–8 longitudinal, sometimes slightly undulating ribs, ribs may become granulöse near apex; tail valve as for intermediate valves iii-vii.

Articulamentum with apophyses elongated triangular in outline, with very variable length, changing between 39–70% of the total length; posterior end of insertion plate only slightly expanded posteriorly in tail valve; slits shallow, while middle is slightly deeper, slit formula 3 / 0 / 0.

Remarks. Cryptoplax weinlandi Šulc, 1934 was first mentioned by Boettger (1902) as to be described by Rolle; as reported by Šulc (1934) and Zilch (1934), the description of this species was never published by Rolle (the name was known only from his unpublished manuscript), and, therefore, the authorship pertains to Šulc (1934).

As pointed out by Šulc (1934), the shape and appearance of the intermediate valves of C. weinlandi is variable. Some valves are characterized by an almost equal length and width and by more longitudinal, slightly undulated ribs in PLA, up to 10 per side ( Figs 152D–F, 152I View FIGURE 152 ) and are interpreted as the intermediate valve ii, others are large sized, elongate triangular in outline, with less ribs in PLA, and are interpreted as the intermediate valve iii-vii ( Figs 152G–H View FIGURE 152 ). A detailed discussion of the length-width relationships of intermediate valves in C. weinlandi from Hungary and Romania is found in Dulai (2005) and Dell’Angelo et al. (2007a).

The intermediate valves show a great variability in the tegmentum sculpture: more regular longitudinal ribs ( Fig. 152G View FIGURE 152 ) or irregular and wavy ( Fig. 152D View FIGURE 152 ), and also the size of the articulamentum in tail valves is variable ( Dell’Angelo et al. 2016, pl. 7, figs 23, 25).

A new species name ( Cryptoplax viciani ), based on intermediate valves from Lăpugiu de Sus differing from C. weinlandi in morphological characters, was presented by Dell’Angelo et al. (2005) as a congress abstract, and must be considered nomen nudum. Dell’Angelo et al. (2007a) proved that these shorter intermediate valves represented the valve ii of C. weinlandi .

Comparisons. The ornamentation of the valves of Cryptoplax weinlandi (longitudinal ribs) is basically different from the more or less granulose ornamentation of the two other species of Cryptoplax here considered, C. lanceolatus Laghi, 1977 and C. margitae Dulai, 2001 . See Tab. 24 for a comparison with the Cryptoplax spp . considered in the present study.

Distribution. Middle Miocene: Proto-Mediterranean Sea (Serravallian): N. Italy: Monchio di Sarzano Casina ( Dell’Angelo et al. 2016). Central Paratethys (Langhian-Serravallian): Austria: Enzesfeld, Forchtenau, Niederleis, Nodendorf, Steinabrunn ( Šulc 1934; Zilch 1934; Sieber 1956; Kroh 2003; this study); Czech Republic: Borač, Knínice, Lysice, Porzteich, Rudoltice, Sudice, Židlochovice, Vranovice ( Šulc 1934; Zilch 1934; Zágoršek 2006); Slovakia: Devínska Nová Ves, Kúty ( Ruman & Hudácková 2015); Poland: Korytnica ( Baluk 1971, 1984); Hungary: Bánd, Devecser, Letkés, Márkháza, Szokolya, Várpalota ( Dulai 2001, 2005, 2025 a, 2025b; Dulai & Katona 2024; this study); Romania: Băseşti, Bujturi, Coştei, Lăpugiu ( Šulc 1934; Zilch 1934; Marinescu 1964; Dell’Angelo et al. 2007a; this study); Eastern Paratehys: Ukraine: Horodok (this study). Upper Miocene: Proto- Mediterranean Sea (Tortonian): Po Basin, Italy: Borelli, Montegibbio, Rio di Bocca d’Asino, Vargo, Vigoleno, Villa Monti ( Laghi 1977; Dell’Angelo et al. 1999, 2016); S. Italy (Messinian): Petralia Sottana ( Sicily) ( Ruggieri 1982a).

Species of unclear taxonomic position

All the species of unclear taxonomic position present in the literature, or whose presence in the fossil state is not convincigly confirmed, are briefly discussed here. These 19 species are not reported in a systematic order, but listed by the year of publication (from 1797 to 1897), with some original figures included in a summary plate ( Fig. 153 View FIGURE 153 ).