Argyropeza spina ( Hörnes, 1855 )

Argyropeza spina ( Hörnes, 1855)

Figs 1A–G View FIGURE 1

[ Cerithium View in CoL ] spina Partsch— Hörnes 1848: 21 [nomen nudum].

* Cerithium spina Partsch— Hörnes 1855: 409 View in CoL , pl. 42, fig. 15.

Bittium (Bittium) spina (Partsch) — Sieber 1937: 490.

Bittium (Bittium) reticulatum View in CoL (da Costa)— Sieber 1937: 489 (pars), pl. 25, fig. B1 [non da Costa, 1778].

Bittium spina (Partsch) — Csepreghy-Meznerics 1950: 30.

Bittium spina Partsch, 1842 — Strausz 1955: 204.

B. (B [ittium].) spina (Partsch) — Sieber 1958: 136.

Bittium (Bittium) spina (Partsch in Hoernes 1856)—Kojumdgieva in Kojumdgieva & Strachimirov 1960: 110, pl. 31, figs 19, 20.

Bittium botense n. sp. — Csepreghy-Meznerics 1969: 71, pl. 1, fig. 20.

Bittium leganyii n. sp. — Csepreghy-Meznerics 1969: 72, pl. 1, fig. 19.

Bittium legányii n. sp. — Csepreghy-Meznerics 1972: 21, pl. 3, fig. 25.

Bittium botense n. sp. — Csepreghy-Meznerics 1972: 21, pl. 3, fig. 30.

Bittium spina (Partsch in Hörnes) 1856— Bohn-Havas 1973: 1046, 1109, pl. 4, fig. 2.

Bittium (Bittium) sp.— Bałuk 2006: 199, pl. 8, fig. 3.

Bittium botense Csepreghy-Meznerics, 1969 — Pálfy et al. 2008: 104.

Bittium leganyii Csepreghy-Meznerics, 1969 — Pálfy et al. 2008: 104.

non Bittium spina — Sorgenfrei 1958: 165: pl. 31, fig. 103 [= Bittium sp. ].

non Bittium spina Partsch— Strausz 1962: 35 , pl. 7, figs 1–2 [= Bittium grinzingense sp. nov.].

non Bittium spina Partsch, 1842 — Strausz 1966: 141, pl. 7, figs 1–2 [= Bittium grinzingense sp. nov.].

non Bittium (Bittium) spina (Partsch) — Rado 1971: 177, pl. 3, figs 71, 75, 77, 87 [= Bittium krenni sp. nov.].

non Bittium (Bittium) spina (Hörnes) — Janssen 1984: 152, pl. 49, fig. 1 [= Bittium sp. ].

non Bittium (Bittium) spina (Partsch in Hoernes, 1856)— Atanacković 1985: 104, pl. 24, figs 22–25 [= Bittium sp. ]. non Bittium (Bittium) spina (Partsch, 1842) — Iljina 1993: 69, pl. 8, figs 16–19 [= Bittium konkense Sokolov, 1899 ]. non Bittium spina (Partsch in Hörnes, 1856)—Harzhauser 2002: 71, pl. 2, fig. 10 [= Bittium grinzingense sp. nov.].

Type material. Lectotype, designated herein: NHMW 1851 View Materials /0013/0002, SL: 16.0 mm, MD: 3.9 mm, Baden ( Austria), illustrated in Hörnes (1855: pl. 42, fig. 15), Figs 1D 1 –D View FIGURE 1 2 View FIGURE 2 . Paralectotypes: NHMW 1859 View Materials /0027/0109, SL: 12.9 mm, MD: 3.2 mm, Baden-Sooss ( Austria), Figs 1A 1 –A View FIGURE 1 2 View FIGURE 2 . NHMW 2023 View Materials /0054/0001, SL: 11.4 mm, MD: 3.1 mm, Baden-Sooss ( Austria), Figs 1B 1 –B View FIGURE 1 2 View FIGURE 2 . NHMW 2023 View Materials /0054/0002, SL: 15.8 mm, MD: 3.8 mm, Baden-Sooss ( Austria), Figs 1C 1 –C View FIGURE 1 2 View FIGURE 2 . NHMW 1859 View Materials /0027/0109, SL: 8.6 mm, MD: 2.3 mm, Baden-Sooss ( Austria), Fig. 1G View FIGURE 1 .

Illustrated material. M.68.2104, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest ( Hungary), holotype of Bittium leganyii Csepreghy-Meznerics, 1969 , illustrated in Csepreghy-Meznerics (1969: pl. 1, fig. 19), Borsodbóta ( Hungary), Figs 1E 1 –E View FIGURE 1 2. M View FIGURE 2 . 68.2105 View FIGURE 68 , Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest ( Hungary), SL: 9.5 mm, MD: 2.5 mm, holotype of Bittium botense Csepreghy-Meznerics, 1969 , illustrated in Csepreghy-Meznerics (1969: pl. 1, fig. 20), Borsodbóta, Szilvásvárad ( Hungary), Fig. 1F View FIGURE 1 .

Additional material. 518 spec., NHMW 1861 View Materials /0001/0812, Vienna / Grinzing ( Austria) ; 1355 spec., NHMW 1861 View Materials /0033/0035, Buituri ( Romania) ; 73 spec., NHMW 1861 View Materials /0015/0750, Niederleis ( Austria) ; 12 spec., NHMW 2023 View Materials /0054/0003, Baden-Sooss ( Austria) ; 20 spec., NHMW 2023 View Materials /0054/0004, Baden-Sooss ( Austria) ; 1 spec., NHMW 1869 View Materials /0001/0105, Baden ( Austria) , illustrated in Sieber (1927: pl. 25, fig. B1); 1 spec., NHMW 2023 View Materials /0027/0007, Baden ( Austria) .

Revised description. Large, slender shell of up to 15 teleoconch whorls, attaining ~ 12–16 mm in height; apical angle 20–23°. Protoconch multispiral of about 3.5 whorls with sinusigera (dp = ~200 μm). Earliest protoconch whorl convex, smooth; later with two sharp spiral cords. Early teleoconch whorls with two prominent spiral cords bearing wide spaced, axially arranged tubercles. Whorl profile with broad subsutural ramp, subcylindrical periphery and steep slope towards deeply incised suture. Delicate subsutural spiral cord appears around third to fourth teleoconch whorl. Second spiral thread appears on subsutural ramp around sixth to seventh whorl. Tubercles on later teleoconch whorls becoming sharply pointed, placed on narrow spiral cords. Two spiral cords on subsutural ramp bearing one or two additional spiral rows of smaller tubercles of variable strength. Broad varices especially on the last teleoconch whorls. Sculpture on varices consisting only of spiral cords without tubercles. Aperture missing in all available specimens. Base delimited by bifid peribasal cord arising from insertion of outer lip, upper of the two cords strongest, one or two further weak cords over fasciole. Outer lip broken in all specimens, siphonal canal short, narrow, bent strongly adaxially.

Synonyms. Bittium leganyii Csepreghy-Meznerics, 1969 , from the Badenian of Borsodbóta ( Hungary), is a spire fragment of Argyropeza spina . Bittium botense Csepreghy-Meznerics, 1969 , from the same locality, is a broader specimen of A. spina .

Discussion. This species has been placed so far in Bittium , but the characteristic protoconch and the peculiar sculpture of two prominent spiral cords with prickly tubercles on early spire whorls places this species in Argyropeza Melvill & Standen, 1901 , as reviewed by Houbrick (1980). Among the extant Argyropeza species, A. schepmaniana Melvill, 1912 , from the Indo-West Pacific is most similar to A. spina ( Hörnes, 1855) in its mode of sculpture formation and whorl profile. However, A. spina differs in its more slender shell, more numerous teleoconch whorls, and larger size. Since the description by Hörnes (1855) this species was confused in the literature with other species due to the somewhat misleading illustration in Hörnes (1855), which shows comparatively large, close-set and rounded tubercles. Moreover, the illustration overemphasized the convexity of early whorls and the strength of the spiral cords on the subsutural ramp. Consequently, most specimens illustrated subsequently by Sorgenfrei (1859), Strausz (1966), Iljina (1993) and Harzhauser (2002) as this species differ in their broader profile and/or larger tubercles. Similarly, the stout specimens described by Sacco (1895: 41, pl. 2, figs 120, 121) as varieties of Bittium spina from the Burdigalian and Tortonian of Italy are certainly unrelated to Argyropeza spina . Bittium spina agriense Báldi, 1966 , from the Egerian of Hungary, is a Bittium and is also unrelated to Argyropeza spina .

Argyropeza spina is superficially reminiscent of Royella Iredale, 1912 (type species Cerithium sinon Bayle, 1880 ; original designation by Iredale 1912: 219; present day, Indo-West Pacific Region) as reviewed by Houbrick (1986). Like Argyropeza , Royella bears two prominent spiral cords bearing pointed tubercles.A difference, however, is the much larger size of Royella , its broader shell, relatively gradate spire and the lower, subcylindrical whorls. The protoconch of Royella consists of three whorls with two prominent spiral rows of tubercles ( Bandel 2006), quite unlike that of Argyropeza .

Paleoenvironment. The occurrences in the Baden Formation (Baden, Möllersdorf) suggest middle to outer neritic environments with up to 210 m water depth ( Kranner et al. 2021). Extant Argyropeza species live on shelves and slopes from few tens of meters water depth down to upper bathyal depths on muddy or fine-grained substrata ( Houbrick 1980).

Distribution. Known so far only from the Badenian of the Central Paratethys Sea.

Central Paratethys. Badenian(Middle Miocene): Korytnica Basin:Korytnica( Poland)( Bałuk2006); Carpathian Foredeep: Moravské Knínice ( Czechia) ( Hörnes 1855); Vienna Basin: Baden, Baden-Sooss, Möllersdorf, Niederleis, Nodendorf ( Austria) ( Hörnes 1855); Oberpullendorf Basin: Ritzing ( Austria) ( Hörnes 1855); Eisenstadt-Sopron Basin: Forchtenau ( Austria) ( Hörnes 1855); Bükk Mountains: Borsodbóta, Szilvásvárad ( Hungary) ( Csepreghy-Meznerics 1972); Mecsek Mountains: Magyaregregy ( Hungary) ( Bohn-Havas 1973); Dacian Basin: Dobrusha, Dylgodeltsi, Opanets, Portitovtsi, Yasen ( Bulgaria) (Kojumdgieva in Kojumdgieva & Strachimirov 1960).

Genus Bittium Gray, 1847 View in CoL

Type species. Strombiformis reticulatum Da Costa, 1778 , subsequent designation by Gray (1847: 270). Present-day, Europe.

Diagnosis. “ Shell small, turreted and elongate, consisting of many moderately inflated or angular whorls (6– 10). Sculpture normally reticulate, of varying combinations of spiral cords and axial riblets, frequently beaded at intersections. Usually 3 spiral cords per whorl. Former varices usually present at irregular intervals. Suture distinct, straight. Protoconch about 2 ½ whorls, smooth, but sometimes with several spiral lirations. Frequently, teleoconch strongly reticulate. Aperture ovate with short, shallow, anterior siphonal canal that is not reflected backwards. Weak anal sinus present. Columella concave and with slight callus. Outer lip thin, smooth and rounded, occasionally flared at the base on some individuals. Base of last whorl sculptured with 5–6 spiral cords. Last whorl occasionally contracted in some individuals.” (Houbrick 1977: 103).

Synonyms. See Houbrick (1993) and Van Dingenen et al. (2016).

Discussion. The diagnosis by Houbrick(1977) must be slightly emended because specimens with more teleoconch whorls (12–14) occur in Paratethyan assemblages. Moreover, paucispiral ( Van Dingenen et al. 2016; Landau et al. 2018) and multispiral (hoc opus) protoconchs may occur. The diversity of this genus in the Paratethys Sea has been strongly underestimated in the literature due to confusion and misidentifications with Bittium reticulatum ( da Costa, 1778), which does not occur in the Paratethys Sea. At least six species have been lumped together by authors as ‘ Bittium reticulatum ’.