Crassimurex Merle, 1990

Merle, Didier, Pacaud, Jean-Michel, Ledon, Daniel & Goret, Bernard, 2024, New Cenozoic Muricidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from Europe, Geodiversitas 46 (15), pp. 495-551 : 530-531

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.5252/geodiversitas2024v46a15
publication LSID	urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C32EAAFD-85D8-45CD-8DF7-B894E1537713
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13989288
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/038E87DA-FFC3-E420-FC7A-F904FD7EF95F
treatment provided by	Plazi (2024-10-24 08:29:49, last updated 2024-11-26 02:03:40)
scientific name	Crassimurex Merle, 1990
status

Treatment

Genus Crassimurex Merle, 1990 View in CoL

TYPE SPECIES. — Murex calcitrapoides Lamarck, 1822 by original designation (synonym of Murex calcitrapa Lamarck, 1803 ). Middle Eocene (Lutetian and Bartonian): Paris and Loire basins, France.

COMMENTS ON SUBFAMILIAL PLACEMENT

Members of this genus display a biconic shell with a moderately high spire, spiny varices on P1, internal denticles

(D1 to D6), a broad and open siphonal canal, a sinus of P1, around 8-10 varices, and complex spiral sculpture including the primary cords P1 to P6 (convex part of the whorl) and ADP-MP (siphonal canal). In addition, their shape is similar to that of Poirieria Jousseaume, 1880 or Flexopteron (see Merle et al. 2011). For these reasons, Merle et al. (2011) placed Crassimurex (s. s.) and Crassimurex (Eopaziella) Gürs, 2001 in an informal group named basal muricids. It is still impossible to place this genus within a subfamily using shell characters. Obervations on Crassimurex (s. s.) calcitrapa Lamarck, 1803 at La Ferme de l’Orme (Lutetian, Paris Basin) suggest this species was a drilling predator ( Merle et al. 2024), but this ability occurs in different subfamilies (e.g., Muricinae and Ocenebrinae ) and does not help in subfamilial attribution.

References

JOUSSEAUME F. P. 1880. - Division methodique de la famille des Purpurides. Le Naturaliste 2 (42): 335 - 338. http: // biodiversitylibrary. org / page / 33928744

LAMARCK J. - B. 1803. - Memoires sur les fossiles des environs de Paris (suite 1). Annales du Museum d'Histoire naturelle 2 (9): 217 - 227.

LAMARCK J. - B. 1822. - Histoire naturelle des animaux sans vertebres presentant les caracteres generaux et particuliers de ces animaux, leur distribution, leurs classes, leurs familles, leurs genres, et la citation des principales especes qui s'y rapportent et Supplement a divers types de gasteropodes et de Trachelipodes comprenant l'indication des coquilles fossiles qui ne furent point citees dans leurs genres respectifs. Tome 7. Lamarck, Paris, 711 p.

MERLE D. 1990. - Revision des Muricidae du Cuisien de Gan et de Bos d'Arros (Bassin d'Aquitaine, France). Bulletin du Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris 4 eme ser., 11 (1989), sect. C, 3: 145 - 185.

MERLE D., GARRIGUES B. & POINTIER J. - P. 2011. - Fossil & Recent Muricidae of the World. Part Muricinae. ConchBooks, Hackenheim, 652 p.

MERLE D., GOLDSTEIN D. H. & MCKINNEY M. L. 2024. - First evidence of cannibalism in Crassimurex (s. s.) calcitrapa (Lamarck, 1803) (Gastropoda, Muricidae) from the Lutetian of the Paris Basin (France). Geodiversitas 46 (13): 457 - 470. https: // doi. org / 10.5252 / geodiversitas 2024 v 46 a 13. http: // geodiversitas. com / 46 / 13