Lepidochitona cinerea ( Linnaeus, 1767 )

Lepidochitona cinerea ( Linnaeus, 1767) View in CoL

Fig. 101 View FIGURE 101

Chiton cinereus Linnaeus, 1767, p. 1107 ; Costa 1854 –1856, p. 348; Monterosato 1877, p. 33; Di Geronimo 1979a, p. 47.

Lepidochitona cinereus View in CoL ; Malatesta 1962, p. 155, figs 11–12; D’Alessandro 1971, p. 383; Ricchetti & D’Alessandro 1972, p. 133; Caldara et al. 1979, p. 230; Caldara et al. 1981, p. 145, 150.

Lepidochitona cinerea View in CoL ; Laghi 1977, p. 105, pl. 3, figs 1–4; Taviani 1978, p. 300; Sabelli & Taviani 1979, p. 161, pl. 1, figs 5–6; Laghi 1984, p. 556; Bertarelli & Inzani 1985, p. 299; Kaas & Van Belle 1985b, p. 84, fig. 39, map 17; Zanaroli 1985, tab. 2; Cavallo & Repetto 1992, p. 30, fig. 2; Ruggieri 1993, p. 26; Kleinhölter 1994, p. 92, pl. 1; Dell’Angelo & Forli 1995a, p. 227, fig. 14; Giani 1998, p. 115, pl. 43, fig. 2; Dell’Angelo & Smriglio 1999, p. 138, pls 44–45, figs 67–72; Dell’Angelo et al. 1999, p. 264, pl. 2, figs 1, 3; Forli et al. 1999, p. 111, pl. 1, fig. 7; Dell’Angelo et al. 2001a, p. 148; Funder et al. 2002, p. 278; Dell’Angelo & Silva 2003, p. 12, figs 13–14; Forli et al. 2003, p. 152; Chirli 2004, p. 10, pl. 3, figs 7–8; Dell’Angelo et al. 2004, p. 36; Garilli et al. 2005, p. 136, pl. 3, figs 1–3; Puchalski et al. 2008 (database: chiton fossil records); Koskeridou et al. 2009, p. 318, figs 10.3–10.5; Strack 2010, p. 63, figs 54–56; Sosso & Dell’Angelo 2010, p. 15, unnumbered fig. p. 17; Dell’Angelo et al. 2013, p. 89, pl. 8, figs A–E; Dell’Angelo et al. 2016, p. 83, pl. 3, figs 13–18; Brunetti & Cresti 2018, p. 28, fig. 3; Dell’Angelo et al. 2019b, p. 306; Dell’Angelo et al. 2020b, p. 53, tab. 9; Dell’Angelo et al. 2021b, p. 423, figs 122–129; Dell’Angelo et al. 2022, p. 15, fig. 8.10–8.15; Brunetti & Cresti 2023, p. 10.

Lepidochiton cinereus ?; Norton 1967, p. 194.

Lepidopleurus cinereus ; Brøgger 1901, p. 660; Antevs 1917, p. 354 –367, 412, 416.

non Lepidochitona cinerea View in CoL ; Dell’Angelo et al. 2001a, p. 148, figs 12, 15 ( partim); Chirli 2004, pl. 3, ( partim, fig. 9); Dell’Angelo et al. 2004, p. 36, pl. 3, fig. 6 (= Lepidochitona pliocinerea , fide Dell’Angelo et al. 2013).

Chiton marginatus Pennant, 1777, p. 71 , pl. 36, fig. 2; Seguenza 1874, p. 12; Monterosato 1877, p. 33; Tiberi 1877, p. 139; Monterosato 1879, p. 20; Coppi 1880, p. 227; B.D.D. 1882, p. 499; Nobre 1892, p. 25; Scalia 1900, p. 16; Scalia 1907, p. 29; Blanc et al. 1953, p. 15.

? (reported as Chiton ( Acanthochites) marginatus Pennant , without description or figures); Dollfus 1920, p. 44 [from La Chausserie, France, Miocene (Langhian)].

Lepidopleura marginata ; Coppi 1881, p. 87.

Lepidopleurus marginatus ; Sacco 1897, p. 90, pl. 7, fig. 32; Ferrero Mortara et al. 1984, p. 300; Merlino & Campanino 2001, p. 55; Dell’Angelo et al. 2016, p. 83.

Craspedochilus marginatus ; Brøgger 1901, p. 656; Antevs 1917, p. 354 –367, 416; Antevs 1928, p. 646, 666–677.

Type material. LSL ( fide Dodge 1952: 23) .

Type locality. “ In O. Norvegico ” .

Material examined. Upper Miocene (Tortonian): Italy: Piedmont: Borelli: 2 valves ( MZB 32089, MGPT, Fig. 101B View FIGURE 101 ), Rio di Bocca d’Asino: 42 valves ( BD 859, Figs 101E–G View FIGURE 101 , MZB 32086, Figs 101J–L View FIGURE 101 , PG), Villa Monti: 2 valves ( BD 860); Emilia-Romagna: Montegibbio: 18 valves ( BD 861, MZB 32087–32088, Fig. 101A View FIGURE 101 ). Lower Pliocene: Italy: Liguria: Borzoli: 2 valves ( BD 862, Figs 101H–I View FIGURE 101 , MZB 45750); Bussana: 2 valves ( BD 863); Caranchi: 2 valves ( BD 864, MZB 45751). Pliocene: Portugal: Vale de Freixo: 93 valves ( BD 244, GeoFCUL VFX.03.348, GeoFCUL VFX.03.358– VFX.03.360, MNHN.F. A81990 View Materials , RGM.1364016). Italy: Piedmont: Belveglio: 1 valve ( BD 865); Tuscany: Bibbiano: 5 valves ( BD 866), Montenero: 5 valves ( BD 867), Orciano Pisano: 3 valves ( BD 868), Pietrafitta: 11 valves ( BD 869), Pietrafitta Melograni: 7 valves ( BD 870), San Miniato: 5 valves ( BD 871), Serre di Rapolano: 18 valves ( BD 872); Emilia-Romagna: Castell’Arquato: 2 valves ( BD 873), Cava di Campore: 1 valve ( BD 874), Marano sul Panaro: 1 valve ( BD 875); Sicily: Trappeto: 3 valves ( BD 876). Pleistocene: Italy: Tuscany: Caletta: 1 valve ( BD 877), Cisternino: 2 valves ( BD 878), Riparbella: 7 valves ( BD 879); Emilia-Romagna: Torrente Stirone: 5 valves ( BD 880); Calabria:Archi S. Francesco: 6 valves ( BD 881), Bovetto: 5 valves ( BD 882), Carrabbati: 2 valves ( BD 883), Musalà: 4 valves ( BD 884), Pecoraro: 1 valve ( BD 885), Pezzo: 5 valves ( BD 886), Saracinello: 1 valve ( BD 887), Stalettì: 2 valves ( BD 888), Torrente Boscaino: 1 valve ( BD 889); Sicily: Capo Milazzo: 2 valves ( BD 890), Selinunte: 2 valves ( BD 891). Greece: Kyllini: 3 valves ( DGUP, Figs 101C–D View FIGURE 101 ). Maximum width of the valves: 4.5–5– 2.6 mm.

Description. Head valve semicircular, posterior margin markedly V-shaped, front slope straight. Intermediate valves broadly rectangular (W/L = 2.42–2.77), moderately elevated (H/W = 0.30–0.45), semicarinate in anterior profile, anterior margin straight to slightly sinuose, side margins rounded, posterior margin almost straight, produced to a small apex, not beaked, lateral areas slightly raised, not distinctly separated from central area. Tail valve semicircular (W/L = 1.80–1.84), anterior margin slightly sinuose, mucro subcentral, not prominent, antemucronal slope straight, postmucronal slope slightly concave.

Tegmentum uniformly covered with fine subquadrangular granules (maximum length 50–65 µm), arranged in somewhat irregular quincunx pattern, sometimes giving the impression of forming longitudinal striae towards the side margins, a few concentric growth lines often discernible. Each granule bearing a subcentral megalaesthete, several micraesthetes (up to 20) irregularly arranged along margin, also in depressions between granules.

Articulamentum with apophyses wide, rounded, subtrapezoidal in tail valve, slit formula 8–10/1/8–12, slits inaequidistant, slit rays clearly visible, teeth short, slightly roughened on outside, eaves spongy.

Remarks. This species has a rather complicated taxonomic history, resulting in a great number of synonyms ( Kaas & Van Belle 1981; Sirenko et al. 2016).

Baxter (1982) studied the high variability of some characters of modern Atlantic individuals, such as number of incisions in the insertion laminae, ranging between 7 and 11 for the head valve and between 6 and 16 for the tail one. Baxter & Jones (1981) analysed the valve structure and the size and distribution of aesthetes

Comparisons. The closest species is Lepidochitona pliocinerea Dell’Angelo, Sosso, Prudenza & Bonfitto, 2013, and the differences with this species are discussed below.

Distribution. Upper Miocene: Proto-Mediterranean Sea (Tortonian-Messinian): Po Basin, N Italy: Borelli, Montegibbio, Rio di Bocca d’Asino, Villa Monti ( Sacco 1897; Laghi 1977; Dell’Angelo et al. 1999, 2016). Lower Pliocene: central Mediterranean, Italy: Liguria: Borzoli, Bussana, Caranchi ( Dell’Angelo et al. 2013, 2021b). Pliocene: northeastern Atlantic, Mondego Basin, Portugal: Vale de Freixo ( Dell’Angelo & Silva 2003; Dell’Angelo et al. 2022); central Mediterranean, Italy: many localities in Piedmont, Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Sicily ( Dell’Angelo et al. 2001a; Chirli 2004; this study); Greece: Kallithea ( Kleinhölter 1994). Upper Pliocene to upper Pleistocene: central Mediterranean, Greece: Rhodes Island Koskeridou et al. 2009). Pleistocene: North Europe: Netherlands ( Strack 2010); northeastern Atlantic: U.K. ( Norton 1967), Portugal: Douro ( Nobre 1892); central Mediterranean, Italy: many localities in Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Calabria, Sicily ( Taviani 1978; Dell’Angelo et al. 2001a, 2007b; this study), Greece: Kyllini ( Garilli et al. 2005). Holocene: North Atlantic, Wadden Sea, Denmark, Germany ( Funder et al. 2002). Recent: Atlantic Ocean: from Norway: Tromsö ( Sirenko 1998), Iceland ( Sneli & Gudmundsson 2018), all the European coast ( Leloup 1934; Rasmussen 1973; McKay & Smith 1979; Kaas & Van Belle 1981; Hansson 1998), France ( Van Belle 1972); Spain and Portugal ( Borja 1987; Consolado Macedo et al. 1999; Carmona Zalvide et al. 2000; Urgorri et al. 2017), Berlengas Arch. ( Pisani Burnay 1986); Morocco, Senegal ( Kaas 1991); Mediterranean Sea: Spain ( Giribet & Penas 1997); France (B.D.D. 1882); Italy: many localities ( Dell’Angelo & Smriglio 1999; Trono 2006); Malta ( Mifsud et al. 1990); Greece and Aegean Sea Islands ( Strack 1988, 1990; Koukouras & Karachle 2005); Turkey ( Ozturk et al. 2014); Israel ( Barash & Danin 1977); Algeria ( Pallary 1900); Tunisia: Gulf of Gabes ( Kaas 1989; Cecalupo et al. 2008); Black Sea and Sea of Marmara ( Strack 1988; Bitlis 2019; Sirenko 2023).