Columbellidae Swainson, 1840

Harzhauser, Mathias & Landau, Bernard M., 2021, The Columbellidae (Gastropoda, Buccinoidea) in the Miocene Paratethys Sea — striking diversity of a negelected group, Zootaxa 5025 (1), pp. 1-75 : 7-9

Family Columbellidae Swainson, 1840

Genus Columbella Lamarck, 1799

Type species. Voluta mercatoria Linnaeus, 1758 ; by monotypy. Present-day , Western Atlantic .

Discussion. The genus Columbella comprises relatively inflated columbellids with narrow, elongated aperture, thickened outer lip, which is internally thickened in the mid-section and two rows of denticles, one placed at the columellar edge, the other placed deep within the columella ( Landau et al. 2019).

Columbella mayeri Hörnes, 1856

Figs 3F 1 –F 2

* Columbella Mayeri Hörn. —Hörnes 1856: 666, pl. 51, figs 1a–b.

Columbella Mayeri M. Hoernes — Hoernes & Auinger 1880: 93.

C.[olumbella]. (A [lia].) mayeri (Hörn.) .— Sieber 1958a: 148.

Pyrene (Pyrene) mayeri (M. Hoernes, 1856) — Atanacković 1985; 141, pl. 32, figs 5–6.

Type material. Holotype: NHMW1853 /0003/0093, SL: 23.6 mm, MD: 12.4 mm, Forchtenau ( Austria), illustrated in Hörnes (1956, pl. 51, figs 1a–b), Figs 3F 1 –F 2 .

Revised description. Shell large, robust, broad, elongate-ovoid, with incised suture. Protoconch unknown. Spire gradate, strongly cyrtoconoid; spire whorls moderately convex. Last whorl subcylindrical in adapical half, weakly convex below, concave at base. Base slowly contracting. Aperture narrow. Anal canal deeply incised, narrow U-shaped, strongly callused. Outer lip thickened, denticulate with about nine denticles within, with weakly developed internal labial callus pad in upper third. Columellar callus forming sharply delimited callus rim, detached from base, abapically thickened with four denticles at outer columellar edge and three broad, low denticles at inner edge. Parietal callus thickened.

Shell measurements and ratios. SL: 23.6 mm, MD: 12.4 mm, AA: 65°.

Discussion. The specimen from Bosnia and Hercegovina, illustrated by Atanacković (1985), is better preserved than the holotype from Forchtenau and shows a strongly-developed anal canal and a marked internal labial callus pad placed in the upper third of the outer lip as is typical for Columbella . Columbella mayeri differs from other Miocene and Pliocene Columbella species , such as C. curta ( Dujardin, 1837) , C. globosa Millet, 1865 and C. rustica ( Linnaeus, 1758) in its larger size and more elongate outline (see Peyrot 1938; Glibert 1952; Chirli 2002; Landau et al. 2019). We provisionally place C. curta in the genus Columbella , pending a better description of the columellar dentition. It seems to be an exceedingly uncommon species.

Palaeoenvironment. Unknown.

Distribution in Central Paratethys. Badenian (middle Miocene): Eisenstadt-Sopron Basin: Forchtenau ( Austria) (Hörnes 1856); southern Pannonian Basin: Hrvaćani-Drenik ( Bosnia and Hercegovina) ( Atanacković 1985).

“ Columbella ” vitensis Handmann, 1883 species inquirenda

* Columbella Vitensis n. f.— Handmann 1883: 170.

Type material. Some specimens of the former ‘ Rudolf Handmann collection’ are stored in the Kollegium Kalksburg in Vienna, a Catholic private school, but it was impossible to identify any specimens of Columbella vitensis .

Shell measurements and ratios. SL: 11 mm, MD: 5 mm.

Discussion. Handmann (1883) described this species to be morphologically intermediate between Defensia bucciniformis (Hoernes & Auinger, 1891) and “ Mitrella ” bittneri (Hoernes & Auinger, 1891) with greater similarity to the latter. We are not aware of any material and the brief description does not allow us to identify the genus. It is reasonable to asume this species to be valid, given its littoral paleoenvironment in a brackish lagoon, whereas “ Mitrella ” bittneri and Defensia bucciniformis occur in normal marine sublittoral settings.

Palaeoenvironment. The desposits at St. Veit an der Triesting were formed in a brackish lagoon (own data M.H.).

Distribution in Central Paratethys. Badenian (middle Miocene): Vienna Basin: St. Veit an der Triesting ( Austria) ( Handmann 1883).

“ Columbella ” paucicostata ( Friedberg, 1911)

Figs 7A 1 –A 2

* Columbella Anachis ) paucicostata Friedb.— Friedberg 1911: 43, pl. 2, fig. 8.

Columbella Dujardini Hoern. var. paucicostata Friedb. —Friedberg 1928: 586.

[ Columbella Dujardini Hoern. ] var. paucicostata Friedb. — Friedberg 1938: 128.

Anachis paucicostatus ( Friedberg, 1911) — Zelinskaya 1968: 208, pl. 48, figs 23–24.

Type material. Holotype: ZNG PAN 1257, Dryszczów ( Ukraine), stored in the Geological Museum of the Institute of Geological Sciences , Polish Academy of Sciences (Kraków), illustrated in Friedberg (1911, pl. 2, fig. 8), Figs 7A 1 –A 2 .

Description. Large, broad fusiform shell with weakly convex whorls and narrowly incised suture. Protoconch unknown. Teleoconch of seven whorls. Sculpture of spire whorls consisting of broad, convex close-set spaced axial ribs separated by narrow interspaces. Axial sculpture fading out on nearly smooth last whorl. Last whorl convex, moderately constricted at base. Aperture moderately wide. Columellar callus forming broad rim, moderately delimited from base. Parietal callus thick. Outer lip thickened with prominent labial callus pad. Numerous prominent denticles within outer lip. Anal canal deep, narrow V-shaped. Siphonal canal short, moderately wide.

Shell measurements and ratios. SL: 14 mm, MD: 6.5 mm, AA 50°, SL/MD: 2.1, AL/AW: 4.6, LWH/AH: 1.2.

Discussion. This species is based on a single, somewhat abraded specimen and its status is problematic. The overall shape and the large size might suggest a placement in Columbella but no information on the presence of columellar denticles deep within the columella is available. The species is slightly reminiscent of Graphicomassa polonica (Pusch, 1837) in size, shape and apertural features but differs in its axial sculpture. Axial sculpture on early teleoconch whorls would be an atypical feature in Graphicomassa and therefore a placement in that genus is unlikely. The predominant axial sculpture is typical for Costoanachis and the tendency to reduce sculpture on the last whorl is also seen in that genus. The large size, however, differs from all other Miocene Costoanachis species discussed herein.

The Miocene species is slightly similar to the extant Indo-West Pacific Metanachis jaspidea (G.B. Sowerby II, 1844) , which is the type species of Metanachis Thiele, 1924 . The narrower aperture of the Miocene species, however, excludes a placement in Metanachis . Anachis H. Adams & A. Adams, 1853 is used in the literature in a broad sense and the Miocene species would fit within this group as well. A placement in Anachis s.s., however, is unlikely as the type species Columbella scalarina G. B. Sowerby I, 1832 is characterised by prominently shouldered whorls and a distinct spiral sculpture on early spire whorls (see Radwin 1977: 120 for discussion on Anachis s.s.). Sculpture is also similar to Zafra A. Adams, 1860 (type species Zafra mitriformis A. Adams, 1860 ) but Zafra comprises minute species ( deMaintenon 2008; Monsecour & Monsecour 2018).

Palaeoenvironment. Unknown.

Distribution in Central Paratethys. Badenian (middle Miocene): Carpathian Foredeep: Dryszczów ( Ukraine) ( Friedberg 1911).

Figures

FIGURE 1. A. Map of central and south–eastern Europe, representing the area that was partly covered by the Central Paratethys Sea. The white insert corresponds to the area that is restored in the palaeogeographic map below. B. Paleogeography of the Middle Miocene Paratethys Sea showing the most important sedimentary basins (NAFB: North Alpine Foreland Basin, E–Sopr B: Eisenstadt–Sopron Basin).

FIGURE 2. Measurements for shell morphology and whorl profiles. SL: shell length, MD: maximum diameter, AA: apical angle, LWH: last whorl height, AH: aperture height. AL: aperture length. AW: aperture width.

FIGURE 7. Species described by Friedberg (1911, 1938). A1–A2. “Columbella” paucicostata (Friedberg, 1911), ZNG PAN 1257, holotype, Dryszczów (Ukraine).B1–B2. Sulcomitrella januskiewiczi (Friedberg, 1938), ZNG PAN 2528, lectotype, Zborów (Ukraine). C2–C2. Mitrella convexa Friedberg, 1911, re-illustrated from Friedberg (1911, pl. 2, fig. 2).