Terebralia prolignitarum (Sacco, 1888)

(Fig. 3C)

Potamides prolignitarum Sacco, 1888: 3, pl. 4, figs 1-3.

Terebralia bidentata var. prolignitarum Sacco, 1895: 54, pl. 3, fig. 33.

POTENTIAL SUBJECTIVE JUNIOR SYNONYMS. — Potamides prolignitarum var. reticulata Sacco, 1888; P. p. var. perrandi Sacco, 1888; P. p. var. turrita Sacco, 1888; P. p. var. cingulosa Sacco, 1888; Potamides clerichi Sacco, 1888 .

PALAEOENVIRONMENT. — Specimens from Greece are found cooccurring with Terebralia lignitarum in brackish assemblages, dominated by taxa such as Mesohalina margaritacea, Granulolabium plicatum and Potamides papaveraceum, accompanied by Nerita plutoni s (D. T. pers. obs.). A brackish environment is inferred possibly in a mudflat setting because of the co-occurrence of the species (Esu & Girotti 2010).

DISTRIBUTION. — Rupelian of Liguria (northern Italy) (Sacco 1888, 1895); Rupelian/Chattian of the Mesohellenic Basin (north-western Greece, southern Albania) (D. T. pers. obs.).

REMARKS

This species is poorly known due to its rare occurrence and incomplete preservation. The rather small and slender morphology is characterized by weakly convex teleoconch whorls and subquadrate interspaces between comparatively small nodes. A space between the first and second abapical cords is noticeable in larger specimens, sometimes bearing a fine, smooth spiral thread. Specimens from the Mesohellenic Basin (NW Greece) show a regular spacing of the varices of about 2/3 of a whorl, resulting in a triangular aspect of the shell in apical view. Part of the colour of the shell is preserved in some specimens, which seems to be uniformly brown and darker on the inner surface of the shell. Morphologically it is closer to the Miocene T. duboisi than to T. lignitarum .