Pithocerithium michelottii ( Hörnes, 1855 )

Pithocerithium michelottii ( Hörnes, 1855)

Figs 27O, 35A–E View FIGURE 35

* Cerithium Michelottii Hörn.— Hörnes 1855: 389 , pl. 41, fig. 7

[ Cerithium View in CoL ] P [ithocerithium]. Michelottii var. dertoaspinosa Sacc.— Sacco 1895: 33 , pl. 2, fig. 82.

[ Cerithium View in CoL ] P [ithocerithium]. Michelottii var. infracingulellata Sacc.— Sacco 1895: 34 , pl. 2, fig. 83.

[ Cerithium View in CoL ] P [ithocerithium]. Michelottii var. mediocristata Sacc.— Sacco 1895: 34 , pl. 2, fig. 84.

Cerithium Michelottii Hoern.—Friedberg 1928: 594 , pl. 38, fig. 7.

Cerithium (Pithocerithium) Michelottii (Hörn.) — Sieber 1937: 499.

Cerithium michelottii M. Hörnes — Csepreghy-Meznerics 1954: 21, pl. 2, figs 10–12.

Cerithium (Vulgocerithium) michelottii Hörn.— Strausz 1954: 16 , 96, pl. 3, fig. 49.

Cerithium (Vulgocerithium) michelottii Hörnes, 1856 — Strausz 1955: 26, 143.

C [erithium]. (Th [ericium].) michelottii Hörn.— Sieber 1958: 137 .

Cerithium michelotti Hörnes— Strachimirov 1960b: 263 View in CoL , pl. 5, fig. 3.

Cerithium (Vulgocerithium) michelottii Hoernes 1856 —Kojumdgieva in Kojumdgieva & Strachimirov 1960: 105, pl. 31, fig. 5.

Cerithium (Vulgocerithium) tumidum n. sp. — Kecskeméti-Körmendy 1962: 88, 97, pl. 10, figs 7–8.

Cerithium michelottii Hörnes— Strausz 1962: 47 , pl. 9, fig. 29.

Cerithium michelottii Hörnes, 1856 — Strausz 1966: 134, pl. 9, fig. 29.

Cerithium (Thericium) michelottii Hörnes, 1856 — Bałuk 1975: 146, pl. 17, figs 6–8.

Cerithium (Thericium) michelottii Hörnes, 1856 — Atanacković 1985: 106, pl. 25, figs 12–14.

non Cerithium (Thericium) michelotti View in CoL [sic] Hörnes, 1855 — Popa et al. 2014: 7, pl. 1, fig. 4 [= Thericium lapugyense (Mayer, 1878) ].

non Cerithium michelotti View in CoL [sic] Hörnes, 1856— Vazzana & Cecalupo 2007: 184, pl. 5, fig. e.

Type material. Lectotype designated herein, NHMW 2023 View Materials /0027/0001, SL: 23.6 mm, MD: 12.7 mm, Figs 35B View FIGURE 35 1 –B View FIGURE 1 2 View FIGURE 2 ; paralectotype, NHMW 2023 View Materials /0027/0002, SL: 20.1 mm, MD: 9.9 mm, illustrated in Hörnes (1855: pl. 41, figs 7a–b), Figs 35A View FIGURE 35 1 –A View FIGURE 1 2 View FIGURE 2 , 27O. All Baden ( Austria), Middle Miocene, Badenian.

Illustrated material. NHMW 1846/0037/0359a, SL: 22.5 mm, MD: 11.8 mm, Pötzleinsdorf ( Austria), Figs 35C View FIGURE 35 1 –C View FIGURE 1 2 View FIGURE 2 . NHMW 2023/0028/0001, SL: 22.8 mm, MD: 13.0 mm, Pötzleinsdorf ( Austria), Figs 35D View FIGURE 35 1 –D View FIGURE 1 2 View FIGURE 2 . NHMW 1867/001970188, SL: 20.1 mm, MD: 10.3 mm, Coşteiu de Sus ( Romania), Figs 35E View FIGURE 35 1 –E View FIGURE 1 2 View FIGURE 2 .

Additional material. 16 spec., NHMW 1846 View Materials /0037/0359, Vienna / Pötzleinsdorf ( Austria) ; 7 spec., NHMW 1878 View Materials /0041/0021, Vienna / Pötzleinsdorf ( Austria) ; 1 spec., NHMW 1878 View Materials /0050/0027, Baden ( Austria) ; 5 spec., NHMW 1863 View Materials /0015/1175, Baden-Sooss ( Austria) ; 5 spec., NHMW 2023 View Materials /0029/0001, Möllersdorf ( Austria) ; 1 spec., NHMW 2023 View Materials /0030/0001, Forchtenau ( Austria) ; 12 spec., NHMW 1860 View Materials /0001/0268, Boršov ( Czechia) ; 4 spec., NHMW 1867 View Materials /001970188, Coşteiu de Sus ( Romania) ; 1 spec., NHMW 1862 View Materials /0001/0559, Buituri ( Romania) .

Revised description. Medium sized, very stocky shell of up to nine teleoconch whorls, attaining ~ 20–24 mm in height; apical angle 45–55°. Protoconch unknown. First three teleoconch whorls low with slightly concave subsutural ramp, weak mid-whorl angulation and several spiral cords crossing low, wide-spaced axial ribs. Mid-whorl spiral cord along angulation more prominent, forming weak, horizontally elongated tubercles. On fourth whorl weak spiral cord develops on subsutural ramp close below suture bearing small widely spaced tubercles; mid-whorl cord migrates closer to abapical suture, tubercles strengthen. Numerous fine secondary threads intercalated between two tubercular cords. Penultimate whorl consisting almost entirely of subsutural ramp delimited by two spinous tubercular cords, lower cord placed just above suture. Suture weakly incised. Last whorl ovate, convex; attaining ~70% of total height. Subsutural spiral cord bearing 10–14 prominent spinous tubercles, widely separated from three lower closer spaced spiral cords of less prominent pointed tubercles. Interspaces between spiral cords with secondary and tertiary spiral threads. Transition into base convex with weaker tubercular peribasal cord. Base moderately constricted, concave fasciole, all covered in weaker tubercular spiral cords with secondary and tertiary spirals intercalated. Aperture ovate, moderately wide. Columella excavated. Columellar callus forming broad rim. Anal canal deeply incised. Outer lip thin. Siphonal canal short and wide, deeply incised, twisted, slightly deflected to the left. Color pattern of reddish dots on tops of tubercles.

Synonyms. Cerithium (Vulgocerithium) tumidum Kecskeméti-Körmendy, 1962 , holotype, M.249, Magyar Állami Földtani Intézet múzeuma (Geological Museum of the Geological Institute of Hungary, Budapest), Várpalota ( Hungary), Middle Miocene, Badenian. The name is preoccupied by Cerithium tumidum Braun in Walchner, 1851 [= Chondrocerithium tumidum (Braun in Walchner, 1851)]. No replacement name is necessary, because there is no reason to separate this shell from P. michelottii and we consider C. tumidum Kecskeméti-Körmendy, 1962 as a subjective junior synonym of P. michelottii . Sacco (1895) described the varieties dertoaspinosa, infracingulellata and mediocristata based on specimens from the Tortonian (Late Miocene) of S. Agata ( Italy). We have not seen these specimens, but the differences described by Sacco (1895) do probably not justify separation from the Paratethyan species.

Discussion. This species is unique within the Paratethyan cerithiids due to its high and inflated last whorl and its pointed tubercles. The specimen illustrated by Hörnes (1855, pl. 41, figs 7a–b) has a growth anomaly resulting in a strong difference between the spire with weak sculpture and the last two whorls with typical tubercles. All other specimens lack such distinction and therefore, we selected another syntype as lectotype. ‘ Cerithium ’ klipsteini (Michelotti, 1847) (including the varieties described by Sacco, 1895), from the Burdigalian of Italy, is somewhat similar in profile, but differs in the smaller number of spinous tubercular spiral cords and lacks secondary spiral threads (see Ferrero Mortara et al. 1984, pl. 35, figs 3a–b). The specimen illustrated by Vazzana & Cecalupo (2007) from the Tortonian of Calabria ( Italy) as Cerithium michelottii differs in its more numerous spiral cords and much weaker tubercles and represents another species.

Paleoenvironment. The occurrence at Vienna / Pötzleinsdorf ( Austria) suggests inner neritic sandy bottoms (own data M.H.) .

Distribution. Pithocerithium michelottii occurred during the middle and late Badenian (= Late Langhian, Early Serravallian) in the Central Paratethys Sea and might have been present in the Tortonian of the Proto-Mediterranean Sea.

Central Paratethys. Badenian (Middle Miocene): Korytnica Basin: Korytnica ( Poland) ( Bałuk 1975); North Alpine Foreland Basin: Boršov (Porstendorf) ( Czechia); Vienna Basin: Baden, Baden-Sooss, Möllersdorf, Vienna / Pötzleinsdorf ( Austria) ( Hörnes 1855; Sieber 1937); Eisenstadt-Sopron Basin: Forchtenau ( Austria) (hoc opus); Pannonian Basin: Sámsonháza, Várpalota ( Hungary) ( Csepreghy-Meznerics 1954; Strausz 1966), Hrvaćani ( Bosnia and Herzegovina) ( Atanacković 1985); Făget Basin: Buituri, Coşteiu de Sus, Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania) (hoc opus); Dacian Basin: Opanets, Staropatitsa, Urovene, Tyrnene, Yasen ( Bulgaria) (Kojumdgieva in Kojumdgieva & Strachimirov 1960).

Proto-Mediterranean Sea. Tortonian (Late Miocene): Po Basin: S. Agata ( Italy) ( Sacco 1895).