Bittium benoisti (Cossmann & Peyrot, 1922)

Bittium benoisti auctores non Cossmann & Peyrot, 1922

Bittium (Bittium) benoisti Cossmann et Peyrot, 1924 [sic]— Steininger 1963: 45, pl. 13, fig. 3 [= Bittium foedum sp. nov.].

Bittium (Bittium) benoisti Cossmann et Peyrot, 1924 [sic]— Steininger et al. 1971: 382, pl. 53, fig. 3 [= Bittium foedum sp. nov.].

Bittium (Bittium) benoisti Cossmann & Peyrot, 1922 — Bałuk 2006: 199, pl. 8, fig. 2 [= Bittium walaszczyki sp. nov.].

Bittium (Bittium) benoisti (Cossmann & Peyrot, 1921 [sic])— Katona et al. 2011: 8, pl. 2, fig. 11 [= Potamididae View in CoL ].

Discussion. The name ‘ Bittium benoisti ’ has been used for Paratethyan material. However, none of these occurrences are conspecific with Bittium benoisti Cossmann & Peyrot, 1922 , which is based on a specimen from the Aquitanian of La Brède ( France) (holotype, MNHN.F. J05916 View Materials , stored in the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France, illustrated in Cossmann & Peyrot, 1922: 287, pl. 7, figs 44–45; https://science.mnhn.fr/institution/mnhn/ collection/f/item/j05916). This species did not occur in the Paratethys.

Genus Cerithidium Monterosato, 1884

Type species. Cerithium submammillatum Rayneval & Ponzi, 1854 View in CoL ; original designation by Monterosato (1884: 123), by monotypy. Present-day, Mediterranean Sea.

Diagnosis. “ Shell elongate conical, sculptured with distinct spiral cords and axial ribs. Protoconch multispiral, with smooth initial whorl and spirally sculptured later whorls. The end of protoconch clearly demarcated by a varix having a notch in the upper half of the whorl. Aperture semicircular, columella straight, forming a sharp angle at the anterior end with the outer lip. Radula typical of Cerithiidae , with many sharp cusps on the well developed central and lateral teeth. ” (Hasegawa 1998: 175).

Synonyms. Clathrofenella Kuroda & Habe, 1952 , type species Dunkeria reticulata A.Adams, 1860 , by original designation; junior synonym of Dunkeria fusca A. Adams, 1860 , subsequent designation by Hasegawa (1998: 175). Present-day, West Pacific.

Discussion. Cerithidium has an unclear position within Cerithiidae because it has a closed pallial oviduct in contrast to other Bittiinae ( Houbrick 1993: 270) . However, this information is not available for the type species. Cerithidium differs from Bittium Gray, 1847 in its smaller shell, which has less teleoconch whorls and an insignificant siphonal canal. The siphonal canal distinguishes Cerithidium from most other Bittiinae except for Stylidium Dall, 1907, which differs in its spiral sculpture and lack of axial ribs.

In addition to the herein described species, the genus is documented by Cerithidium plebeium Lozouet, 1998 from the Late Oligocene and Early Miocene of France. In addition, Lozouet (1998) treated Scalaria (Acirsella) perminima Boury, 1900 ( France, Middle Miocene, Serravallian) as Cerithidium , [= Semibittium octoliratum Cossmann & Peyrot, 1922 ( France, Early Miocene, Burdigalian) and Semibittium duvergieri Cossmann & Peyrot, 1922 ( France, Middle Miocene, Serravallian)]. Scalaria (A.) perminima was described by Ivolas & Peyrot 1900 (173, pl. 7, figs 27–28) and was also discussed and illustrated in later papers (Cossmann 1912: 99, pl. 4, fig. 32, as Acirsa (Acirsella) perminima ; Cossmann & Peyrot 1922: 176, pl. 5, fig. 11, as Acirsella (?) perminima ). The specimen illustrated by Cossmann (1912) is available in Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (Paris) database (https://science.mnhn.fr/institution/mnhn/collection/f/item/j05205). Illustrations of this species and of Semibittium octoliratum and S. duvergieri ( Cossmann & Peyrot, 1922: 290, pl. 6, fig. 86, pl. 7, figs 93–95 and 291, pl. 7, figs 33–34, 96 (also MNHN database: https://science.mnhn.fr/institution/mnhn/collection/f/item/j05920) respectively) show that the specimens are rather spirally sculptured Bittium species, like Bittium turritella ( Eichwald, 1851) and B. tulskajense Iljina, 1993 .

Distribution. Mediterranean Sea, Indo-Pacific.