Pseudomalaxis zanclaeus (Philippi, 1844)

Fig. 16 g–h

Bifrontia zanclaea Philippi, 1844 (p. 225, pl. 28, fig. 11).

Homalaxis nobilis Verrill, 1885 (p. 423, pl. 44, fig, 12).

Homalaxis zanclaeus Philippi—Jeffreys 1885 (p. 39).

Pseudomalaxis zanclaea (Philippi) — Monterosato 1913 (p. 362); Nordsieck 1968 (p. 64, pl. 10, fig. 37.20).

Pseudomalaxis actoni Monterosato 1913 (p. 362, upper fig. in p. 363).

Omalaxis zanclaeus — Hidalgo 1917 (p. 521).

Pseudomalaxis zanclaea (Philippi, 1844) — Nordsieck 1972 (p. 147, pl. R XIV, fig. 7).

Pseudomalaxis zanclaeus (Philippi, 1844) —Melone & Taviani 1984 (p. 181, figs. 53–59, 61).

Pseudomalaxis zancleus Philippi, 1844 — Rindone 1986 (p. 299, fig. 1).

Pseudomalaxis zanclea (Philippi, 1844) — Barash & Danin 1992 (p. 68, fig. 64).

Pseudomalaxis zanclaeus meridionalis (Hedley, 1903) — Bieler 1993 (p. 315, figs. 262–265).

Pseudomalaxis zancleus (Philippi, 1844) — Repetto et al. 2005 (p. 225, bottom right fig.); De Frias Martins et al. 2009 (p. 65, fig. 255).

Diagnostic characters. Nearly planispiral shell; orthocline quadrangular aperture; 4 spiral keels running along the angulations of the quadrangular whorls; stronger spiral duplicate and marking the periphery; weak spiral threads between the peripheral and the basal keel; fine sinuous axials; small nodes at the intersections of axials and spirals. Protoconch: not available (apical area worn); apparently smooth, of 2 whorls.

Remarks. Pseudomalaxis actoni Monterosato, 1913 and the Caribbean P. nobilis (Verrill, 1885) are regarded as synonyms of P. zanclaeus (Melone & Taviani 1984; WoRMS 2016).

Occurrence. Box-corer sample BC72 (1 specimen). Diameter: 17 mm.

Distribution and habitat. Pseudomalaxis zanclaeus is widely distributed on both sides of the Atlantic and in the Mediterranean (typical form), as well as in the Indopacific area (subspecies meridionalis); it usually dwells on muddy bottoms (sometimes on sand and gravel) from circalittoral to bathyal depths, often in association with corals (Monterosato 1913; Melone & Taviani 1984; Bieler 1993).

Fossil record. Pliocene of central and southern Italy; Pleistocene of southern Italy (Melone & Taviani 1984; Di Geronimo & La Perna 1997; Di Geronimo et al. 2005).