Conus

Harzhauser, Mathias & Landau, Bernard, 2016, A revision of the Neogene Conidae and Conorbidae (Gastropoda) of the Paratethys Sea, Zootaxa 4210 (1), pp. 1-178 : 148

Conus s.l. sturi Hoernes & Auinger, 1879

Figs 30 N, 34G1–G3, Figs 34 H1–H3

[ Chelyconus ] [ Conus ] Sturi n. f.— Hoernes 1878a: 195 (nomen nudum). Conus (Chelyconus) Sturi nov. form.— Hoernes & Auinger 1879: 41, pl. 5, figs 9 – 10.? Conus (Chelyconus) suessi var. posticestriatus n. var. —Kojumdgieva in Kojumdgieva & Strachimirov 1960: 212, pl. 50, fig.

3.

non Conus cf. Sturi R. Hoern. i. Auinger—Friedberg 1911: 53, pl. 2, fig. 15 [= Conus s.l. mucronatolaevis (Sacco, 1893) ].

Type material. Syntype NHMW 1854 /0035/0043a, Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania), illustrated in Hoernes & Auinger (1879, pl. 5, fig. 9) ; syntype NHMW 1854 /0035/0043b, Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania), illustrated in Hoernes & Auinger (1879, pl. 5, fig. 10); 11 syntypes NHMW 1854 /0035/0045 , NHMW 1854/0035/0047, NHMW 1858 / 0043/0003, Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania); middle Miocene, Badenian ( Langhian ).

Studied material. Syntypes.

Illustrated material. Fig. 30 N: syntype, Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania): SL: 38.1 mm, MD: 17.1 mm, NHMW 1854/0035/0043a, illustrated in Hoernes & Auinger (1879, pl. 5, fig. 9); Figs 34 G1–G3: syntype, Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania): SL: 43.7 mm, MD: 20.5 mm, NHMW 1854/0035/0043b, illustrated in Hoernes & Auinger (1879, pl. 5, fig. 10); Figs 34 H1–H3: syntype, Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania): SL: 49.1 mm, MD: 22.1 mm, NHMW 1854/0035/ 0 0 47.

Description: Medium-sized, moderately solid shells with medium high mammillate-conical spires and elongate conical last whorls. First 5–6 spire whorls high and conical, forming pointed apex, tuberculate along lower suture; striate. Later spire whorls distinctly striate, convex, forming low dome-shaped spire; suture impressed but narrow. Subsutural flexure shallow, moderately curved, strongly asymmetrical. Rounded shoulder coinciding with position of maximum diameter. Last whorl elongate conical, not constricted. Narrow aperture, narrowing adapically, only weakly widening towards short, weakly recurved siphonal canal. Siphonal fasciole narrow, indistinct. Sculpture of last whorl consisting of wide-spaced, convex spiral cords, which may be largely reduced on adapical half. Colour pattern not well preserved; spiral cords appear as light spiral bands in UV light; spirally arranged small speckles seem to be present on upper half of last whorl.

Shell measurements and ratios. n = 8: largest specimen: SL: 49.1 mm, MD: 22.1 mm, mean SL: 41.3 mm (σ = 4.5), mean MD: 18.3 mm (σ = 2.0), spire angle: µ = 89.8° (σ = 5.6°), last whorl angle: µ = 30.5° (σ = 1.1°), LW: µ = 2.3 (σ = 0.11), RD: µ = 0.55 (σ = 0.02), PMD: µ = 0.89 (σ = 0.01), RSH: µ = 0.19 (σ = 0.02).

Discussion. A characteristic feature of this species is the spiral cords on the last whorl, which are true cords on the shell surface and not just intervening shell surface between spiral groves as seen in Plagioconus lapugyensis. The Italian Burdigalian Conus mucronatolaevis Sacco, 1893 is quite similar but differs in the lower position of the shoulder and lacks the raised spiral cords on the base. Indirectly, Hall (1966) considered Conus sturi as a synonym of Conus pyrula Brocchi, 1814 (by referring to a figure in Friedberg 1911 and not to the original description of Hoernes & Auinger, 1879), which is incorrect in respect to the much broader and slightly ventricose shell of Lautoconus pyrula (see holotype in Pinna & Spezia 1978).

Conus suessi var. posticestriatus Kojumdgieva in Kojumdgieva & Strachimirov (1960) , from the Badenian of Bulgaria, is fragmentary but seems to represent a Conus s.l. sturi with a low spire. The specimen from the Badenian of Ternopil ( Ukraine) described by Friedberg (1911) as Conus cf. sturi is stored in the collections of the Geological Survey of Austria (GBA 1911/2/1) and represents a subadult Conus s.l. mucronatolaevis .

Paleoenvironment. The sandy sediment infill with elphidiid foraminifers indicates shallow water habitats.

Distribution in Paratethys. Transylvanian Basin: Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania) ( Hoernes & Auinger 1879);? Dacian Basin: Radomirci ( Bulgaria).

Figures

FIGURE 34 A 1 – A 4. Conus s. l. johannae Hoernes & Auinger, 1879, Steinebrunn (Austria), NHMW 1949 / 0005 / 0003. 34 B 1 – B 3. Conus s. l. praelongus Hoernes & Auinger, 1879, Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania), NHMW 1854 / 0035 / 0034, syntype. 34 C 1 – C 3. Conus s. l. praelongus Hoernes & Auinger, 1879, Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania), 0 NHMW 1854 / 0035 / 0034 a, syntype. 34 D 1 – D 2. Conus s. l. praelongus Hoernes & Auinger, 1879, Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania), NHMW 1854 / 0035 / 0034. 34 E 1 – E 3. Conus s. l. posticestriatus Kojumdgieva in Kojumdgieva & Strachimirov, 1960, Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania), NHMW 1999 z 0077 / 0024. 34 F 1 – F 3. Conus s. l. posticestriatus Kojumdgieva in Kojumdgieva & Strachimirov, 1960, Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania), NHMW 1854 / 0035 / 0038, holotype. 34 G 1 – G 3. Conus s. l. sturi Hoernes & Auinger, 1879, Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania), NHMW 1854 / 0035 / 0043 b, syntype. 34 H 1 – H 3. Conus s. l. sturi Hoernes & Auinger, 1879, Lăpugiu de Sus (Romania), NHMW 1854 / 0035 / 0 0 47, syntype. 34 I. Conus s. l. johannae Hoernes & Auinger, 1879, Steinebrunn (Austria), NHMW 1869 / 0001 / 0332.