Polinices staszici (Friedberg, 1923)

Pedriali, Luca, Sosso, Maurizio & Dell’Angelo, Bruno, 2019, Naticid gastropods from the middle Miocene of western Ukraine, Zootaxa 4700 (2), pp. 151-195 : 185-187

Polinices staszici (Friedberg, 1923)

(Fig. 32.1−5)

Natica (Poliniceps) Staszici Friedberg, 1923: p. 435 , pl. 26, figs 8, 9.

Natica Staszici var. revoluta Friedberg, 1923: p. 436 , pl. 26, figs 10, 11, text-fig. 79.

Natica (Polynices) redempta staszici: Strausz 1966, p. 232 , pl. 47, figs 33−35, pl. 48, figs 1−4.

Type material. Natica Staszici Friedberg, 1923, p. 435 , pl. 26, figs 8, 9. Type material not seen.

Material examined. Varovtsi: MPUM 11756 (1 shell, Fig. 32.1a–c); MZB 50509 (1 shell, Fig. 32.2a–b); IGS NANU B-III-16/2018 (1 shell, Fig. 32.3a–c); ZISP 1/62207 (1 shell, Fig. 32.4a–c); MZB 50520 (1 shell, Fig. 32.5a–b); BD 176 (1 shell); NP 10040 (2 shells). Velyka Levada: NP 10079 (1 shell).

Description. Protoconch small, low turbiniform, of 1.8 moderately convex whorls, tip medium-sized. Teleoconch large, globose, robust. Spire broadly conical, moderately elevated, somewhat stepped, whorls convex; subsu- tural shelf indistinct. Suture thin, almost flush. Last whorl inflated, somewhat depressed, expanded toward aperture. Aperture D-shaped in moderately prosocline plane. Parietal callus thick, subrectangular, slightly expanded adapically to meet suture. Umbilicus almost completely plugged by umbilical callus in most specimens; a mid-abapical groove, slit-like to narrow in a few specimens, separates umbilical callus from umbilical wall and exposes thick funicle. Umbilical callus also thick, with arched abapical outline, touching basal fasciole, fused with parietal callus. Abapertural outline of inner lip calluses (parietal + umbilical) concave. Basal fasciole broad, depressed. Outer surface with fine growth lines. One specimen retains vestige of uniform pale brown background with pattern of uneven whitish to brown collabral stripes; basal fasciole, parietal and umbilical calluses pale reddish-brown.

Remarks. The species was introduced by Friedberg (1923) on the basis of shells from some Polish localities. We have not seen the original material but the shells from Varovtsi in our collection fully conform to those figured by Friedberg. A few specimens have a less expanded umbilical callus and perfectly agree with those included by Friedberg (1923) in his variety revoluta of Natica staszici . We do not consider this difference sufficient to warrant separation from the typical form. Strausz (1966) regarded Polinices staszici as a subspecies of the middle to late Miocene European and Turkish species P. redemptus (Fig. 32.6−8), which has a similar teleoconch. We do not con- cur with Strausz’s opinion and note that P. staszici differs from P. redemptus by having: 1) a more globose shell, with more stepped spire and convex whorls; 2) a higher spire (see Fig. 12 ); 3) a last whorl more expanded toward aperture; 4) a smaller umbilical callus; 5) a more depressed basal fasciole, not bounded by a shallow groove; and 6) a different colour pattern of collabral stripes (crescent-shaped marks in P. redemptus ).The lack of the subsutural spiral groove, always present in P. redemptus , is another relevant distinguishing element.

Also the Burdigalian European species Polinices proredemptus (Figs 32.9, 32.10) is quite similar in teleoconch shape, but can easily be distinguished from P. staszici in having: 1) a protoconch of about 0.65 more whorls, with smaller diameter of the first half-whorl, at a size of 0.137 mm; 2) a lower, not stepped spire (see Fig. 12 ); 3) a wider umbilical callus completely covering the umbilicus; and 4) a uniform pale brown background without any pattern.

Distribution. Middle Miocene: Central Paratethys, Lower Badenian of Poland and Hungary (Friedberg 1923; Strausz 1966); Upper Badenian of Ukraine (this paper).

Figures

FIGURES 12–19. FIGURE 12. Relationship between the spire height and the shell height for species of Polinices Monfort, 1810 studied herein. FIGURE 13. Relationship between the aperture width and the aperture height for species of Cochlis Röding, 1798 studied herein. FIGURE 14. Relationship between the aperture width and the aperture height for species of Payraudeautia Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dolfuss, 1883 studied herein. FIGURE 15. Relationship between the aperture width and the maximum diameter for species of Payraudeautia Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dolfuss, 1883 studied herein. FIGURE 16. Relationship between the umbilicus width and the maximum diameter for species of Euspira Agassiz in J. Sowerby, 1837 studied herein. FIGURE 17. Relationship between the umbilicus width and the maximum diameter for species of Payraudeautia Bucquoy, Dautzenberg & Dolfuss, 1883 studied herein. FIGURE 18. Relationship between the width of the umbilical callus and the maximum diameter for species of Cochlis Röding, 1798 studied herein. FIGURE 19. Relationship between the width of the umbilical callus and the maximum diameter for species of Tectonatica Sacco, 1890 studied herein.