Protorculidae Bandel, 1991

Ferrari, S. Mariel, 2013, New Early Jurassic gastropods from west-central Patagonia, Argentina, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 58 (3), pp. 579-593 : 585

Family Protorculidae Bandel, 1991 Genus Anulifera Zapfe, 1962

Type species: Zygopleura (Anulifera) variabilis Zapfe, 1962 , from the Rhaetian (Late Triassic) of Austria .

Remarks.— Nützel and Senowbari−Daryan (1999) placed Anulifera into the family Proconulidae due to the presence of fine spiral grooves on the teleoconch, the presence of knobby spiral rows, the general shell morphology and the relatively large size. They also stated that the spiral ornament of the base resembles that of Atorcula (see Nützel 1998) which has a typical protorculid larval shell. However, the embryonic shell of Anulifera remains unknown, so the placement of the genus into the Protorculidae still needs confirmation ( Nützel and Senowbari−Daryan 1999). Anulifera differs from Zygopleura and Stephanozyga in the ornament pattern. Members of Stephanozyga lack spiral grooves on the teleoconch, and zygopleurids may have axial parasigmoidal ribs or be externally smooth. According to Nützel and Senowbari−Daryan (1999) and Nützel et al. (2010) the genus is characteristic of the Late Triassic of Asia and Alps (Tethys). The species here described is the first occurrence of Anulifera in the Jurassic of South America.

Stratigraphic and geographic range.—Norian–Rhaetian (Late Triassic) to Pliensbachian–Toarcian (Early Jurassic); Europe, Asia, South America.