Perplicaria mioquadrata ( Sacco, 1894 ) Harzhauser & Landau, 2012

Harzhauser, Mathias & Landau, Bernard, 2012, A revision of the Neogene Cancellariid Gastropods of the Paratethys Sea 3472, Zootaxa 3472, pp. 1-71 : 34-35

Perplicaria mioquadrata ( Sacco, 1894) nov. comb.

Figs 3K, 7F 1–F 3, 7G 1–G 3

Cancellaria (d. Merica ) Laurensii Grat — Hoernes & Auinger 1890: 281, pl. 33, figs 1–3 [non Cancellaria Laurensii Grateloup,

1832]. Merica mioquadrata Sacco, 1894: 66 . Cancellaria (Merica) laurensi Grat. – Boettger 1902: 40 [non Cancellaria Laurensii Grateloup, 1832 ]. Cancellaria (Aneurystoma) laurensii Grat. — Sieber 1936: 100 [non Cancellaria Laurensii Grateloup, 1832 ]. Masslya [sic] laurensii (Grateloup) — Kojumdgieva & Strachimirov 1960: 166, pl. 42, figs. 20 [non Cancellaria Laurensii

Grateloup, 1832].

Type material. NHM Vienna ( Austria); see below for details .

Studied material. 1 spec. Grund ( Austria) NHMW 2009 z0098/0001; 13 spec. Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania) NHMW 2009 z0098/0002, NHMW 1865 /0001/00218; 2 spec. CoŞteiu de Sus ( Romania) NHMW 2009 z0098/0003, NHMW 1869 /0019/0226.

Illustrated material. Figs. 7F 1–F 3: specimen illustrated in Hoernes and Auinger (1890, pl. 33, figs 1a–c), Lăpugiu de Sus ( Romania), height: 18.4 mm, width: 8.4 mm NHMW 2009 z0098/0002, designated herein as lectotype to provide a clear refernce if this species might turn out to conist of an unresolved species complex .

Figs. 3K, 7G 1–G 3: specimen illustrated in Hoernes and Auinger (1890, pl. 33, figs 2a–c), CoŞteiu de Sus ( Romania), height: 15.0 mm, width: 6.7 mm NHMW 2009z0098/0003.

Discussion. This species was frequently confused with the Early Miocene North East Atlantic Cancellaria laurensii Grateloup, 1832 , which was placed within Coptostoma Cossmann, 1899 by Cahuzac et al. (2004). Coptostoma is based on Cancellaria quadrata Sowerby, 1822 from the Eocene of England, which has a very deeply excavated columella and is very light-shelled. The shape and aperture of the Miocene species, however, is much more similar to Perplicaria Dall, 1899 . Its type species Perplicaria perplexa Dall, 1890 , from the Pliocene of Florida, develops a comparable aperture with crenate outer lip, a short anterior canal and a straight columella with strong folds. The inner lip forms a comparable erect, thickened columellar callus at the base. Differences between the Floridian and European species are its less conical spire and the cancellate sculpture. Daguinia vigneauxi Magne, 1966 , from the Burdigalian of the Gironde in France, is a further species which should tentatively be placed in Perplicaria despite its peculiar columellar structure (R. E. Petit, pers. comm.). It has an extremely fusiform shell with high spire whorls and conspicuous axial ribs, being distinguished easily from all other species.

Already Sacco (1894) suggested a separation of the Paratethyan shells, illustrated as figs 1–2 in Hoernes and Auinger (1890, pl. 33), from the Atlantic Perplicaria laurensii ( Grateloup, 1832) and proposed Merica mioquadrata as new name. Although both develop a comparable multispiral protoconch of about three broad and convex whorls, with a small nucleus, resulting in a low trochiform outline, the initial teleoconch differs significantly with strong axial ribs in P. mioquadrata as opposed to spiral cords in P. laurensii . Perplicaria mioquadrata develops a flat to slightly concave area below the suture on the last whorl and the maximum convexity of the last whorl appears in the middle of its height. In P. laurensii , the last whorl displays a continuous convexity and develops its maximum convexity in its upper third. This causes a biconical outline of P. laurensii and a drop shaped outline of P. mioquadrata . The basal constriction is weaker in P. mioquadrata and its outer lip is more robust. Its columellar callus is thickened, narrow and erect but thin and indistinct in P. laurensii ( Grateloup, 1832) . Finally, its sculpture is much denser and finer.

Distribution. Perplicaria mioquadrata is a rather rare species, which seems to be restricted to the early and middle Badenian of the Paratethys.

Paratethys —Badenian: North Alpine Foreland Basin ( Austria: Grund); Vienna Basin ( Czech Republic: Hrušovany); Transylvanian Basin ( Romania: Lăpugiu de Sus, CoŞteiu de Sus); Dacian Basin ( Bulgaria: Opanec).