Conus s.l. praelongus Hoernes & Auinger, 1879

Figs 30 L, 34B1–B3, Figs 34 C1–C3, Figs 34 D1–D2

[ Chelyconus] [ Conus] praelongus n. f. — Hoernes 1878a: 195 (nomen nudum). Conus (Chelyconus) praelongus nov. form.— Hoernes & Auinger 1879: 45, pl. 1, fig. 16. Conus (Chelyconus) praelongus (Hoernes und Auinger 1879)—Kojumdgieva in Kojumdgieva & Strachimirov 1960: 213, pl.

50, fig. 7.

non Conus (Chelyconus) praelongus Hoernes & Auinger—Atanacković 1969: 214, pl. 13, figs 4–4b [maybe Conus s.l. olivaeformis Hoernes et Auinger, 1879].

non Conus (Chelyconus) praelongus (Hoernes und Auinger 1879)— Atanacković 1985: 178, pl. 39, figs 16–17 [maybe Conus s.l. olivaeformis Hoernes et Auinger, 1879].

Type material. Syntype NHMW 1854 /0035/0034a, Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania), illustrated in Hoernes & Auinger (1879, pl. 1, fig. 16), 10 syntypes NHMW 1854 /0035/0034, Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania); middle Miocene, Badenian ( Langhian).

Studied material. Syntypes.

Illustrated material. Figs 34 B1–B3: syntype, Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania): SL: 44.9 mm, MD: 19.5 mm, NHMW 1854/0035/0034; Figs 30 L, 34C1–C3: syntype, Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania): SL: 40.8 mm, MD: 17.5 mm, NHMW 1854/0035/0034a, illustrated in Hoernes & Auinger (1879, pl. 1, fig. 16); Figs 34 D1–D2: Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania): SL: 32.3 mm, MD: 14.9 mm, NHMW 1854/0035/0034.

Revised description. Medium-sized olivoid shells; pointed apex with tuberculate early spire whorls; later spire whorls weakly convex to nearly flat, striate, forming a high, nearly straight-sided conical to weakly cyrtoconoid spire. Subsutural flexure shallow, moderately curved, moderately asymmetrical. Very indistinct shoulder coinciding with slight angulation and position of maximum diameter; last whorl moderately elongate, weakly ventricose, not constricted. Siphonal canal very short, moderately wide, straight; fasciole very weak and indistinct; few thin spiral threads on base. Colour pattern under UV light consisting of wide-spaced spirals of long dashes, intercalated by 1–2 weaker spirals of shorter dashes. If uppermost shell layer is eroded, these spirals are underlain by a dense pattern of spirals covering the entire shell.

Shell measurements and ratios. n = 11: largest specimen: SL: 44.9 mm, MD: 19.5 mm, mean SL: 33.7 mm (σ = 1.8), mean MD: 14.9 mm (σ = 2.6), spire angle: µ = 71.5° (σ = 3.1°), last whorl angle: µ = 33.8° (σ = 1.1°), LW: µ = 2.3 (σ = 0.1), RD: µ = 0.58 (σ = 0.03), PMD: µ = 0.87 (σ = 0.03), RSH: µ = 0.23 (σ = 0.03).

Discussion. The strong spiral pattern on the syntype illustrated by Hoernes & Auinger (1879) is somewhat misleading, as it represents a specimen with corroded uppermost shell layer. These spirals are just a colour pattern and do not represent a spiral sculpture as suggested by Halaváts (1884) and Strausz (1966). The stout, robust specimen with somewhat ventricose last whorl, illustrated by Atanacković (1969, 1985) as Conus praelongus, might represent another species. Lautoconus praelongus differs from the slightly similar Leporiconus suessi (Hoernes & Auinger, 1879), Leporiconus transsylvanicus (Hoernes & Auinger, 1879) and Conus s.l. sturi Hoernes & Auinger, 1879 in its higher conical spire, shorter last whorl and lower position of the shoulder.

Paleoenvironment. No information.

Distribution in Paratethys. Badenian (middle Miocene): Eisenstadt-Sopron Basin: Forchtenau (Austria) (Sieber 1956); Transylvanian Basin: Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania) (Hoernes & Auinger 1879); Dacian Basin: Staropatica (Bulgaria) (Kojumdgieva & Strachimirov 1960).