Cochlis micromillepunctata, Harzhauser & Landau & Guzhov, 2025

Cochlis micromillepunctata nov. sp.

Figs 2C View FIGURE 2 , 10A–D View FIGURE 10 , 11A–D View FIGURE 11

Natica millepunctata Lam.—Hörnes 1856: 518 View in CoL ( pars), pl. 47, fig. 2 [ non Natica millepunctata Lamarck, 1822 View in CoL = Naticarius stercusmuscarum ( Gmelin, 1791) View in CoL ].

Natica stercusmuscarum View in CoL — Quenstedt 1881: 259, pl. 194, fig. 2 [ non Naticarius stercusmuscarum ( Gmelin, 1791) View in CoL ].

Natica millepunctata Lam. View in CoL var.— Friedberg 1923: 426, pl. 26, fig. 2 [ non Natica millepunctata Lamarck, 1822 View in CoL = Naticarius stercusmuscarum ( Gmelin, 1791) View in CoL ].

Natica ( Nacca) millepunctata View in CoL — Korobkov 1955: pl. 42, fig. 1 [ non Natica millepunctata Lamarck, 1822 View in CoL = Naticarius stercusmuscarum ( Gmelin, 1791) View in CoL ].

Natica View in CoL ( N [ atica].) aff. tigrina View in CoL hörnesi Fisch. & Tourn.— Báldi 1960: 64, pl. 2, fig. 2c [ non Cochlis hoernesi ( Fischer & Tournouër, 1873) ].

Natica ( Nacca) millepunctata tigrina (Defrance) View in CoL — Strachimirov 1960: 267, pl. 6, figs 5–5b [ non Cochlis tigrina ( Defrance, 1825) View in CoL ].

Natica ( Nacca) millepunctata var. hoernesi ( Fischer und Tournouer 1873) —Kojumdgieva in Kojumdgieva & Strachimirov 1960: 119, pl. 33, fig. 5 [ non Cochlis hoernesi ( Fischer & Tournouër, 1873) ].

Natica ( Nacca) millepunctata Lamarck, 1822 View in CoL — Atanacković 1963: 70, pl. 11, fig. 8 [ non Natica millepunctata Lamarck, 1822 View in CoL = Naticarius stercusmuscarum ( Gmelin, 1791) View in CoL ].

Natica ( Nacca) millepunctata hörnesi Fisch. et Tourn.— Stancu & Andreescu 1968: 462 , pl. 3, fig. 35 [ non Cochlis hoernesi ( Fischer & Tournouër, 1873) ].

Natica ( Nacca) millepunctata tigrina ( Defrance, 1825) View in CoL —Hinculov in Iliescu et al. 1968: 136, pl. 33, figs 2–3 [ non Cochlis tigrina ( Defrance, 1825) View in CoL ].

Natica ( Nacca) millepunctata Lamarck, 1822 View in CoL — Krach 1981: 64, pl. 17, fig. 5 [ non Natica millepunctata Lamarck, 1822 View in CoL = Naticarius stercusmuscarum ( Gmelin, 1791) View in CoL ].

Natica ( Nacca) millepunctata Lamarck, 1822 View in CoL — Atanacković 1985: 133, pl. 30, figs 11–12 [ non Natica millepunctata Lamarck, 1822 View in CoL = Naticarius stercusmuscarum ( Gmelin, 1791) View in CoL ].

Natica millepunctata Lamarck– Ionesi & Nicorici 1994: 58 View in CoL , pl. 2, figs 7–10 [ non Natica millepunctata Lamarck, 1822 View in CoL = Naticarius stercusmuscarum ( Gmelin, 1791) View in CoL ].

Natica tigrina Röding, 1798 View in CoL — Bałuk 1995: 194, pl. 15, figs 11, 13 [ non Cochlis tigrina ( Defrance, 1825) View in CoL ].

Natica tigrina Röding, 1798 View in CoL — Bałuk 2006: 206, pl. 3, fig. 6 [ non Cochlis tigrina ( Defrance, 1825) View in CoL ].

Natica millepunctata Lamarck, 1822 View in CoL —Caze et al. 2014: 33, fig. 5B [ non Natica millepunctata Lamarck, 1822 View in CoL = Naticarius stercusmuscarum ( Gmelin, 1791) View in CoL ].

Natica tigrina Röding, 1798 View in CoL — Popa et al. 2014: 11, pl. 2, fig. 4 [ non Natica millepunctata Lamarck, 1822 View in CoL = Naticarius stercusmuscarum ( Gmelin, 1791) View in CoL ].

Natica ( Nacca) millepunctata tigrina ( Defrance, 1825) View in CoL — Bošnjak et al. 2021: fig. 3C, E, F [ non Natica millepunctata Lamarck, 1822 View in CoL = Naticarius stercusmuscarum ( Gmelin, 1791) View in CoL ].

Type material. Holotype: NHMW 1846 View Materials /0037/0444a, SL: 17.6 mm, MD: 18.7 mm, Bad Vöslau ( Austria), illustrated in Hörnes (1856: pl. 47, fig. 2), Figs 10B View FIGURE 10 1 –B View FIGURE 1 4 View FIGURE 4 , 11B View FIGURE 11 1 –B View FIGURE 1 2 View FIGURE 2 . Paratypes: NHMW 2024 View Materials /0233/0001, SL: 16.6 mm, MD: 17.4 mm, Baden-Sooss ( Austria), Figs 10A View FIGURE 10 1 –A View FIGURE 1 4 View FIGURE 4 , Figs 13E View FIGURE 13 . NHMW 1846 View Materials /0037/0444b, SL: 18.2 mm, MD: 17.3 mm, Bad Vöslau ( Austria), Figs 10C View FIGURE 10 1 –C View FIGURE 1 4 View FIGURE 4 . NHMW 1846 View Materials /0037/0444c, SL: 17.7 mm, MD: 17.6 mm, Bad Vöslau ( Austria), Figs 10D View FIGURE 10 1 –D View FIGURE 1 4 View FIGURE 4 . MNHN A31070 View Materials , SL: 11.8 mm, MD: 10.5 mm, Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania), illustrated in Caze et al. (2014: fig. 5B), Figs 11A View FIGURE 11 1 –A View FIGURE 1 2 View FIGURE 2 . NHMW A1267 View Materials , SL: 18.7 mm, MD: 18.2 mm, Baden-Sooss ( Austria), Figs 11C View FIGURE 11 1 –C View FIGURE 1 3 View FIGURE 3 . NHMW A1267 View Materials , SL: 15.3 mm, MD: 14.6 mm, Baden-Sooss ( Austria), Figs 11D View FIGURE 11 ; NHMW 1846 View Materials /0037/0444a, SL: 18.1 mm, MD: 17.2 mm, Bad Vöslau ( Austria), Fig. 2C View FIGURE 2 .

Additional paratypes. 9 spec., NHMW 2024 View Materials /0234/0001 (A 1267), Baden-Sooss ( Austria) ; 40 sp., NHMW 1862 View Materials /0001/0234, Baden ( Austria) ; 1 spec., NHMW 1868 View Materials /0051/0035, Perchtoldsdorf ( Austria) ; 8 spec., NHMW 1865 View Materials /0001/0847, Grinzing ( Austria) ; 2 spec., NHMW 1866 View Materials /0045/0135, Marz ( Austria) ; 1 spec., NHMW 1858 View Materials /0015/0200, Rousínov ( Czech Republic) ; 6 spec., NHMW 1865 View Materials /0015/0123, Lysice ( Czech Republic) .

Etymology. Micro-, Latin for small, and millepunctata , referring to the species, with which this species was confused.

Type locality. Bad Vöslau ( Austria), Vienna Basin.

Type stratum. Baden Formation.

Age. Middle Miocene, middle Badenian (Langhian).

Diagnosis. Small, globose shell with low spire, very prominent growth lines on subsutural shelf, regularly convex last whorl, deep, wide umbilicus with narrow, cord-like funicle in lower third of umbilicus; color pattern of small, regularly spaced, circular dots.

Description. Small, globose shell of about 3.5 teleoconch whorls; nearly as wide as high (SL/MD = ~1). Spire low conical, with weakly convex whorls; apical angle 115–135°. Protoconch of ~1.75 smooth, convex whorls. Suture linear, narrow but distinctly incised. Last teleoconch whorl with narrow, weakly concave subsutural shelf close to aperture, delimited by faint shoulder angulation. Last whorl rapidly expanding, inflated, attaining ~92–95% of total height. Periphery just below mid-whorl (~48%), regularly convex. Growth lines very prominent, close-set, somewhat irregular in strength and spacing, and weakly prosocyrt in apical view close to adapical suture, rapidly weakening towards periphery.Aperture moderately wide, D-shaped. Position of adapical tip of aperture high (~85%), distinctly above mid-whorl, slightly below shoulder. Aperture attaining ~80% of total height. Columellar lip narrow, only weakly reinforced, basal lip slightly expanded, outer lip thin. Columellar angle ~25–30°. Opercular ridge in outer lip distinct. Umbilicus moderately wide (~15%), deep, with prominent growth lines. Parietal callus moderately long (~47%), narrow, thickened with slight adapical swelling, with straight to weakly concave margin. Anterior lobe indistinct. Prominent, narrow, cord-like funicle, situated in lower third of umbilicus, terminating in small, semicircular umbilical callus. Adapical sulcus broad, weakly concave; abapical sulcus narrow, abapically delimited by weak spiral ridge. Basal fasciole solid, rounded to weakly angled. Color pattern of small to medium sized, regularly spaced, circular, dark dots on light background.

Discussion. This species is characterized by its relatively small size compared to its Paratethyan congeners. It is reminiscent of Cochlis ukrainensis Pedriali, Sosso & Dell’Angelo, 2019 in profile but differs in its much smaller size, attaining only about half the size at same growth stage. In addition, it differs in its prominent growth lines close to the adapical suture and the narrower funicle. Moreover, Cochlis micromillepunctata nov. sp. is only found in deep water environments, whereas C. ukrainensis occurs in shallow marine deposits, indicating an ecological separation of both coeval species.

Cochlis sp. 2 of Landau et al. (2013: pl. 11, figs 2a–2c, pl. 79, figs 5a–5b), from the Serravallian of Turkey, is comparable in outline and has a similar color pattern but differs in its much larger size and the funicle being in a more abapical position.

The color pattern in C. micromillepunctata nov. sp. is typically composed of numerous, medium sized, close-set dots but specimens with fewer very large dots may also occur ( e.g., Bałuk 2006: pl. 3, fig. 6).

Paleoenvironment. Occurrences in the Baden Formation of the Vienna Basin suggest middle to outer neritic settings in up to 250 m water depth ( Kranner et al. 2021).

Distribution in Central Paratethys. Badenian (Middle Miocene): Korytnica Basin: Korytnica ( Poland) (Bałuk 1885); Roztocze Hills: Łychów ( Poland) ( Krach 1981); Carpathian Foreland Basin: Lysice, Rousínov ( Czech Republic) ( hoc opus); Vienna Basin: Bad Vöslau, Baden-Sooss, Baden, Perchtoldsdorf ( Austria) ( hoc opus); Eisenstadt-Sopron Basin: Marz ( Austria) ( hoc opus); Pannonian Basin: Szokolya ( Hungary) ( Báldi 1960); s outhern Pannonian Basin: Zaprešić Brijeg ( Croatia) ( Bošnjak et al. 2021), Miljevići, Hrvaćani, Reljevac, Jazovac ( Bosnia and Herzegovina) ( Atanacković 1985); Făget Basin: Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania) (Caze et al. 2014); Southern Carpathians: Crivineni-Patârlagele ( Romania) ( Ionesi & Nicorici 1994); Caransebeş Basin: Delineşti, Rugi ( Romania) ( Stancu & Andreescu 1968); Mehadia Basin : Valea Calvei, Valea Bela Reca ( Romania) (Hinculov in Iliescu et al. 1968); Dacian Basin: Urovene, Staropatitsa ( Bulgaria) (Kojumdgieva in Kojumdgieva & Strachimirov 1960; Strachimirov 1960).