Thericium vovkotrubense, Harzhauser & Guzhov & Landau, 2025

Thericium vovkotrubense sp. nov.

Figs 60A–D View FIGURE 60

? Cerithium c.f. europaeum May.— Friedberg 1914: pl. 16, fig. 4.

Type material. Holotype, PIN 5904 View Materials /102, SL: 21 mm, MD: 10.2 mm, Figs 60A View FIGURE 60 1 –A View FIGURE 1 2 View FIGURE 2 . Paratypes: PIN 5904 View Materials /103, SL: 26 mm, MD: 10.4 mm, Fig. 60B View FIGURE 60 . PIN 5904 View Materials /104, SL: 25.2 mm, MD: 11.3 mm, Fig. 60C View FIGURE 60 . PIN 5904 View Materials /105, SL: 22.8 mm, MD: 9 mm, Fig. 60D View FIGURE 60 . All from Dibrova ( Ukraine), late Badenian (Middle Miocene) .

Type locality. Dibrova ( Ukraine) .

Age. Middle Miocene, late Badenian (early Serravallian).

Etymology. After village Dibrova, which was known as Vovkotruby, when the main part of type material was collected.

Diagnosis. Medium-sized, stocky broadly conical shell with distinct mid-whorl angulation; dense spiral sculpture, narrow, subequal and band-like; row of elongate, pointed nodes on mid-whorl angulation; few weak varices; last whorl high with high, conical base.

Description. Medium-sized, stocky broadly conical shell of up to 10 teleoconch whorls, attaining 25–30 mm in height; apical angle ~28°. Protoconch and earliest teleoconch morphology unknown. All whorls with dense, subequal, flattened spiral cords, separated by narrow grooves. Axial sculpture of more or less prominent varices alternating with 2–3 axial ribs; 12–14 ribs (rarely only 10) on penultimate whorl. Early teleoconch whorls with more prominent axial sculpture; axial ribs most prominent below mid-whorl. Abapically, axial ribs reduced to axially elongated, pointed nodes mid-whorl, fading over concave subsutural ramp and towards abapical suture. Weak spiral cord with indistinct nodes at adapical suture; about double the number of nodes at mid-whorl. Suture weakly incised, shallowly undulating. Last whorl high, attaining ~47–50% of total height, with one broad, weak varix opposite aperture. Base high, weakly constricted, with densely spaced band-like spiral cords. Often two to three spiral cords more prominent. Aperture elongate-ovate. Columella moderately excavated. Columellar callus forming narrow, slightly thickened rim, sharply delimited from base. Anal canal distinctly incised, narrow, only weak parietal denticle. Outer lip thickened. Siphonal canal very short, narrow, deflected to the left.

Discussion. This species differs from the similar Thericium zhizhchenkoi sp. nov. by the spiral row of pointed, axially elongate nodes placed mid-whorl, whereas T. zhizhchenkoi has more prominent and clearly defined, rounded nodes, and two sub- and suprasutural spiral rows of nodes. Thericium zhizhchenkoi lacks a varix opposite the aperture, is smaller at the same number of whorls and has a higher last whorl. In addition, they are stratigraphically and geographically separated, which makes a close phylogenetic relationship unlikely ( Thericium vovkotrubense , late Badenian Carpathian Foredeep versus Thericium zhizhchenkoi, Chokrakian, Ciscaucasia ).

Paleoenvironment. Unknown.

Distribution. Only known from the late Badenian (Serravallian) of Carpathian Foredeep area of the Central Paratethys Sea.

Central Paratethys. Late Badenian (Middle Miocene): Polish-Ukrainian Fore-Carpathian Basin: Dibrova, Kytaigorod, Postolivka, Sataniv (Khmel’nytskyi Region) (hoc opus), probably Zboriv (Ternopil Region, Ukraine) ( Friedberg 1914).